A Forgotten Lineage
by Taelindwyn
Summary: A thief of Dol Amroth has fought to survive her entire life, now after being given a chance at a 'good life' she is force to fight harder. I suck at descriptions if you read ideas on better description will be loved
1. Chapter 1

A Forgotten Lineage

Disclaimer: Characters and Places belonging to JRR Tolkien are his property, characters belonging to me are mine. This was originally being written by multiple people on a forum. However they think I am someone else so they banned me, so any characters that resemble characters that were not mine from said forum... resemble them due to the fact I like their character flaws (which are not copywriteable), and because well apparently Gondorians are fairly similar in looks for the most part. This is not being done for money.

She was huddled down in a thread bare blanket her blue eyes sliding shut slowly then jerking open, fear keeping her awake. Fear, though not of the cold which chewed on her young bones endlessly while father was away, but of her father himself. He was late in returning from fishing, which meant the catch had not been good, and that meant that he would be angry. She had no doubt about that but she was tired, and hungry and cold and the fight to stay awake was one that her six year old body could not possibly win.

She awoke hours later crying out as pain shot through her right hand, she tried to pull it free but to no avail it was being ground under the heel of her very angry and very drunk father. When he finally teetered back off of her hand she snapped her arm in against her body and moved into the corner of the small hovel that was their home as he shouted at her in slurs that she did not understand as tears welled in her eyes from the pain radiating up her arm as she clutched at her clearly damaged hand. Suddenly she was hit with a ball of dirty clothing, it was rank of alcohol, urine, and fish at least though she knew what to do with it and picking up the smelly mass as best she could she fled the house, hoping that her father would settle down some by the time she was finished with the washing.

Several drunkards in the late night bumped into her as well as one guard that frowned at her as she stared up at him with sunken eyes and hollowed cheeks before she skittered away to the washing well before he could grab at her or try to find out why a child her age was out in the dead of a cold night. He would not have believed her anyways so it did not overly matter what he thought just that she managed to get away from him easily enough. Washing was a miserable experience, a thin layer of ice covered the well and she smashed at it with her left hand se she could get to the thin layer of water that lay underneath against a rough stone bottom. She tossed the clothing into the water and began to work as well as she could at cleaning the filthy clothing.

When she was finished the sun was staining the night sky already and her hands were both bluish, though the right was more purple than blue and both were numb though she could still feel a dull throbbing in her hand as she bundled up the wet clothing and held it tightly soaking her entire body for the most part before she headed home. She was shaking from the cold and her teeth chattering as she hoped father had started a fire so that his clothing would dry faster and she would as well. However as she headed down the street she could see that there was no smoke coming from the hovel which would tell her there was a fire, she sighed and trudged on. Maybe he would start one when she got home, not wanting to waste wood.

When she arrived she saw three men coming from the door one of them shouted back at her father who was bellowing something. She stood watching them looking up at them with frightened eyes, she had seen them a few times before; they were the only people that her father feared. The one man looked down at her his grey eyes cold and a smile on his face to match them reached down and gave her head a thump as one would a dog.

"You be a good little girl for your pa." He said with a chuckle and then he and the other men walked away while she stood there trembling watching them go until they disappeared round the corner before she headed into their home. She found her father sitting on his bed glaring daggers at the door his face bloodied and his top lip pulled back in a snarl. She edged away from him as best as she could, hanging his wet clothing up about the small fireplace. She could feel him watching her, his mind mulling over some thought, and she as not sure what was happening all she knew was that he was angrier now than he had been before she was afraid of what her punishment would be. She sat trembling as she hung up his last pair of pants to dry praying he would not hurt her other hand as he had her right hand. She had just started to turn when a strong hand grabbed the back of her neck causing a small squeak from her as she was half dragged from the house.

"Ya jusbe quiet an' keep yer eyes down." He snapped at her. "We've business at the Palace." She was confused by this as she was dragged along she tried her best to keep up but in the cold air she was shaking and her father's long strides out did hers easily and she was half running in an attempt not to anger him further. As they passed out of Middle Port, their home and into New Port she could see merchants and men of higher rank looking at the two of them. Her father looking beaten and dragging along a half starved child brought plenty of stares as they wound through the city.

"Keep yer eyes down, yer ta look at the boots an' no place else."

"Why?" It slipped out faster than she could stop it though normally she would never question her father, the fact she was being taken to the palace was something she had not dreamed would ever happen. Her head snapped sideways as her father's hand connected with it and she saw stars for a moment.

"They don't want to deal with a filthy little flea-bitten mot like you." He barked, she was silent though her face stung and was red where he had struck her she did not look up not even as they came closer and closer to the Palace quarters and it's neatly kept paths and gardens. The only reason she knew they were outside of the main city was because the path suddenly changed, from a dirty muddy mess to a white stone path. She twisted slightly wondering if they were leaving tracks however the grip about the back of her neck tightened and she hung her head submissively knowing it was for the best. Her father spoke with a man who motioned for him to go inside, telling him that the Prince would see him as the court was open today.

"Mind yer eyes mot." Her father hissed at her as he walked in dragging her about. She did not notice the man that he had spoken to was looking at her with concern. She did not know what she looked like to other people, she did not even know what she looked like herself. The guard followed them in though hoping that this man was looking to give away the child to the Prince not being able to feed her properly in these tough times, perhaps he was here to see if he could get money to tend to the girls hand, he could only see glimpses of it but he thought it looked like it had been trampled by a horse or crushed by a ship against a dock from her not being careful.

"Prince! A moment ferra faithful subjec'." Her father bellowed as she glanced at the floor it had gone from white stone to a brightly polished white stone and she was staring at this pretty white stone wondering how it got so shiny and she tried to look back to see if they had left dirty marks as they came in. Her father's grip tightened once more and a small whimper escaped her. A few other guards moved in immediately noticing that the man was slurring his words and drunk which could make him dangerous. Not to mention they could see his fingers digging into an already thin neck bruises forming already on the pale but dirty skin. She shrank away from them clinging with her left hand to her father as boots polished to a shine came near her. She was afraid of them, she could see that they left no dirt behind and she wondered for a moment if those boots would make her disappear if they kicked her.

"For a faithful subject, I can give a moment." Came the reply and suddenly they started forward once more she was shaking hard Her father stumbled down onto one knee right before some stairs she tried to as well but lost her balance and reached out to catch herself with her hands and cried out as pain jolted through her damaged hand. There was a small gasp from just behind from the Knight that had followed them in, the Prince noticed as well though she did not see him stiffen at the sight before she managed ti tuck her wounded hand back safely against her chest. "And what is it that you need my subject." The words were carefully chosen as the court watched the battered child with horror.


	2. Chapter 2

She could feel her father wobble as he moved a bit, his grip tightening and releasing about the back of her neck as he knelt. "Immin need o' help." He stated calmly , "There are mongrels tryin'ta take me home."

"Your home?" The man before them sounded slightly annoyed at this request, he could understand food being stretched thin, but a home? There were no men in Dol Amroth that did not own their own home he knew that much.

"Aye they's be wanted fifteen gold fer it or they'd burn it." Her father shifted again "An fishin' ain't gonna make enough." She was distracted from her father and the Prince by the sound of boots coming up behind her and she squirmed trying to get closer to her father afraid of the Knights, who on the streets only ever looked at her with contempt and disgust. They grabbed at her and yelled at her and she feared them, and now she was surrounded by them. The Knight came closer until she could see his boots polished standing but two feet from her and her breath caught in her throat like a small whimper. This earned an angry shake from her father as well as a hiss of a warning.

"Do not punish the child." The Prince said seeing the abuse and he stood up glowering at the man, as he stepped forwards until he was right before the drunken man and the trembling girl. "She has done nothing to merit such treatment though I could see her neck bruising beneath your fingers from my seat which makes me think that perhaps it is you in need of a shake."

Suddenly she felt her whole body being lifted by her neck as her father stood up abruptly.

"If ya ain't gonna help me I ain't stayin here." Her eyes strayed up at the Prince as she was lifted up, he was richly robed and his face was cold and she shuddered at the sight of him. Immediately she looked to her father that was glaring at a Knight shoving him away and had missed her transgression. She reached out and tentatively took a hold of his pants hoping that he would not leave her here with the cold prince. With that her father turned and started out and the Prince stood silent in shock, though the Knights looked to him for direction on what to do with the drunkard no direction came. He was in too much shock from what he had seen. Through the filth and grime the girl was pale skinned and her eyes a bright blue that did not match her drunken fathers brown eyes or his browned skin. He blinked as he stepped back to his seat and motioned for a knight to come to him.

"Follow them Lord Balegil, try to bring the child back." The young Knight and Lord gave a nod his grey eyes filled with worry at what the child would go through, and his jaw set. With a bow he took his leave of the Prince of Dol Amroth and set to his task of following the drunken man and the child.

As soon as they were back home she was more afraid then she had been in the court her father shoved her away and stamped about the house grabbing things that he would need on his small fishing boat. All the while she huddled pitifully in the corner watching him and scuttling away whenever he came near.

"Useless little mot, now I have to go and try to catch fish when I should be home for several days to rest, all because of you." The alcohol was wearing off and her father was getting angrier at her now, as angry as the clouds that she had seen rolling in over the harbours when they had been walking towards their home. She whimpered slightly, going out in such storms was dangerous though she was young and had never been on a ship she knew was much was true. Her father would always delay launching for fishing when such storms rolled in. However now he had all the clothing she had washed though it was still wet bundled up as well as all the food that remained in the house, leaving none for her while he was away. She licked her lips and looked up at him watching as he marched out the door his goods packed. She waited trembling for several minutes then slipped out to follow him and watched as his small boat set out into still calm sea.

He slipped out of sight and she trudged wearily back home only to find a Knight standing near the house talking to a few people that passed. Their faces showed utter disgust as he spoke to them pointing to the house, and she slipped away into the shadows of a nearby alley. Suddenly she was very afraid.


	3. Chapter 3

The Knight stayed by the house all day and she watched him from the shadows of the alley, shaking from the dampness of her clothing and the cold chill of the air. He was frustrated, she could see him getting angry with the people that lived about the small hovel of a home, and nobody seemed to be willing to help him. The light of day was fading quickly though and he was looking about worriedly why she could not tell. Perhaps the Prince would hurt him like her father hurt her when she could not do what he asked. That tempted her to step out and see at least what he wanted, but if her father found that out when he returned she would be beaten possibly to death which made her shrink back into shadows further and decided she would have to find food and a place to sleep that was not home. The thought frightened her but she had done it before when father was drunk and angry at her for being there. He had brought a woman home with him and she had been sent out and she had wandered for a long time until she had finally collapsed exhausted in a dark alley completely unprotected.

This time she found a dark corner well away from the street and curled up shaking. The ground was damp and the wind though it was muted by the twists of the alley was still cold to her thin body and she lay still save for her shaking as the sun set and the sky went dark. She did her best to sleep but there were so many noises about her that she was awake for most of the night. She heard rats scuttling about and she heard a fight break out a ways away, something that were she in her home she'd have not heard and she sobbed softly wondering why the Prince would not help her father. He would not have been so angry if he'd have just helped; sobbing softly to herself she managed to eventually cry herself to sleep.

When she awoke she found her breath coming out in small white puffs and she was so very cold and getting up was very difficult to do her body ached and did not want to move. Her stomach snarled angrily at her though, she had not eaten at all yesterday, there had not been time between washing fathers clothing and going to that horrible palace. The Knight outside her home, she wondered if he was still there, not that it mattered she thought glumly. Father had taken absolutely all the food, including what he normally had set aside for her. It was all gone, and she did not know when he would be coming back, she had never had no food at all before. She walked slowly back towards the street to see that the Knight was still there still sitting looking worriedly about it was as if he knew that she should be there. She just wanted to go home and curl up under her blanket out of the wind but the Knight kept her from doing that. And she trudged back down the alley though she missed the fact that the Knight caught a movement in the back alley and wondered for a moment if he was seeing things from sitting out in the cold all night.

It had been a long time since he had had to perform a watch at night with no one else about him and he wondered at how dangerous feeling Middle Port was. He could not believe that a child could survive here on their own for a night even given some of the fighting that he had heard. He waited though even as other Knights came to tell him that the Prince wanted to know if he had found the child. He had not found her though he knew from the disgusted words of those that lived about the area that this was her home and that nobody was there. He glanced to the Sea, the wind was picking up harsher now than it had been, an icy storm was brewing, and the neighbours had stated that the drunken fisherman had gone out to sea. Had he taken the child with him? Would the child drown in the storm with the father? He was certain that if she was out with him that that would be her cruel fate, yet he could find none that had seen her save that she had followed him to the docks dutifully. He should his head, how she could follow a monster about and look to him for care was beyondBalegil however the other Knights brought him some rations and he hoped that though they were meagre to him he'd be able to share them with the small girl. He wondered at her after all the Prince was so shocked by her that he had hesitated to halt the man, perhaps afraid that doing so would cause her more harm at the fathers hands. Balegil had no children yet but the thought of harming one was foreign to him.

The day passed though without the child returning to the house and several neighbours were looking at him strangely as he ate his rations until by late that night there was only a few mouthfuls of way bread left and one piece of fruit. And still that night she did not return and another knight came to the young lord and the Prince had released him of his duty to find the child though all of the guards were now on alert to her. They were to bring her in if they found her and to make sure that she was safe, what the Prince and Lord Balegil did not realise was that the girl was afraid of them and would avoid them at all costs if she thought that she could.

She slipped had slipped away from the house seeing all the Knights about it realising that there was no chance for her to return home. She wondered how long the men would stay there but it did not matter she would need to find a safer place to sleep this night than she had last night. That much she did know. With that she began slipping through the back alleys until she found some dark corner hidden well away from the main streets of Middle Port where no grown man could venture the spaces that she had slipped through where too small and there she slept that night cold but not as scared as she had been earlier. Tomorrow she would try to find food, she thought as she clenched at her stomach with her good hand. She was so very hungry.


	4. Chapter 4

10 Years Later

She slipped through the crowded market place with ease as she snatched up a small loaf of bread without hesitation she nibbled on it as she wandered looking at merchants and lords and knights. She had nothing in her pockets right now save for her small dagger, she had eaten already once on the coin of a careless merchant, and this was just to give her something for tomorrow in case there was less to be had tomorrow. She knew she was going to need to move from the markets to other grounds to steal from soon, she had haunted the markets long enough and while she had done a few smaller thieving's from homes and carts passing through the city they were not big enough to feed her consistently. However she was slowly working her way up, of course with what she was doing now she would only be sent to the town prison or the stocks, when she was thieving from merchant carts and homes though she ran the risk of being sent to the palace dungeon, which she had heard since she had started stealing to feed herself years ago now was far worse than the town prison with its dark cells and dank floors. However she thought taking another small nibble at the bread sitting down near a few city guards to hear what news she could that she would need a better weapon soon than the tiny old dagger she had. After all it was more likely to be Knights and guards that she would end up dispatching if she got caught or if she had to run from the city and fend for herself. That thought still frightened her. She had only ever dwelt inside of Dol Amroth; she had never left the safety of its tall walls. There had been no need to; everything that she had needed was inside Dol Amroth after all. However she knew that there was always the chance of that need arising, it would be easier if she knew how to read but surviving on her own was hard enough. She had never apprenticed as a thief, though she knew full well that it would be easier on her to learn things like reading, but she had no way to pay that she was willing to give. Once she had been grabbed by an apprentice as payment to a master criminal, what he was a master of she did not know, and she had not stayed around to become a prize. She had been lucky, the apprentice was not, and apparently he had been killed for grabbing someone that was unwilling and capable of escape. She`d found his body days later while hiding and had run from Middle Port at the sight of him all the way to Gate town and hidden herself in the mess of alleys there though she was not as familiar with them she had not cared. She just wanted to be away from the area where she knew there were those that would harm her.

She caught sight of a man watching her he was robed in rich colors and was looking at her intently and immediately she glanced about to see if there were others, watching her so closely, there were a few guards though they were far away from her and she could see gaps in their line. She did not recognize them and she wondered why they were after her and who the man was that seemed to be the most intent upon her. She was not sure why he was interested in her, she had not stolen from him, recently at least that she could think of and she stood up and started walking she headed for the gap between the guard and the man that was opening and immediately the man turned about his eyes fixed on her realising that she was running from his trap and she had found the best chance out. She lengthened her stride though she kept from running, running meant that you had done something wrong which aside from food and coins that were not from this man, she had done nothing wrong yet that would warrant so many men after her. The guard picked up on the gap later than the man did and with a few quick slips between tight spaces between groups of bartering people she was outside of the line of men and moving as quickly as she could glancing back at the man that was still following her. His eyes were cold and blue and locked upon her. It was the only time that she looked back at him though she spared him a full moment to look at him. She turned to the task before her, and that was disappearing. She was almost to the edge of the market and a small alley that was a tight fit and a quick run before it turned into a maze, which was just what she wanted.

She was past the stall and into the alleys and there she ran quickly to the first turn and there she stood and waited wondering if the man and the guard would follow her in, but they did not, they seemed to know that she was lost to them once she made it to the alleys though the man stood at the entrance of the alley and locked eyes with her once more and she shuddered wondering where she had seen this man before and why he was hunting her so. He stood calmly there dismissing the guard that seemed more than willing to give chance; he busied himself at a stall the owner talking happily away ignoring the fact that the man was clearly not paying attention to him as he stared her down. She turned then deciding there was little point to staying here where he knew where she was and disappeared into the maze.

Balegil had been watching the girl closely for weeks now, she was a thief and several times he had wanted to grab her and switch her hand until she realised that was she was doing was hurting her city and her kingdom. Supplies were in short demand now that the corsairs were actively attacking the merchant ships and while the Swan ships defended many of them they did not manage to rescue all of them. Of course he also realised that she had to eat as well and he wondered how many nights she had gone hungry? Or how many times she`d been placed in the Stone tower prison for stealing to feed or cloth herself since he had failed to bring in the abused child all those years ago he had searched for her despite the fact that Prince Adrahil was no longer alive and his son Prince Imrahil was now the ruler of Dol Amroth. He had thought she was dead until he had caught word having spent his time working his way into the underbelly of Dol Amroth of a child thief that was untutored, with no master, and with a discernable amount of talent. He had immediately wondered if it had been her, and now that he had seen her he was sure of it. Prince Adrahil had told him she had the eyes of a Dunedain princess, which was rare of any of the lower class citizens generally, and it was rarer still of thieves which normally slipped in from outside of Dol Amroth and were not normally Gondorians. He would need to be able to find her and bring her under his wing, hopefully before she moved any further in the underbelly and either became someone that he needed to catch to execute or killed by some master who found her outperforming is apprentice and making him look bad. He walked away at least he knew that she was so far in better shape than she had been all those years ago. He smiled thinking he knew just the person to be able to handle catching her for him. He would however warn him that he girl had killed before to escape danger, something that both pleased him and frightened him. After all while he knew that she was in no danger he doubted that she would take it the same way.


	5. Chapter 5

She had slipped into the small opening where the plaster had cracked and heaved on a building letting her into the larder room of an Inn. She curled up tightly in the gap between the shelf and the plaster there were crates in front of her blocking her from view from those inside and the gap was not large enough for most adults, she however was very small for her age from going hungry so often growing up. She was also shorter than she should be most still thought of her as a young girl because of her build it was fine by her, for them to think of her as such. She wondered what the man was up to she felt safe for the moment and the larder while it was cool was still warmer than outside and so she shivered for a little bit until her body warmed up and then she started to fall asleep since it was already late afternoon and she did not want to see if the man was searching the other markets for her even if there was a good chance of making a decent amount of coin from merchants in the middle of transactions however she was warm and safe and she had eaten which was about as much as she was ever able to hope for since she was a child. She smirked slightly, safe, curled up hidden chased by Knights and some richly dressed man who probably wanted her tossed into a cell to rot and she felt safe.

When she woke a few hours later to the sound of someone in the larder she glanced outside it was dark out she had slept well but waking in the middle of the night mean it for a good number of hours it was likely that the only people that she would be seeing were knights of Dol Amroth which she would not steal from. Though several times she had been tempted but they never presented an easy enough target to take the risk. Nor were the rewards that she had seen worth the chance at spending a night or longer in a cell and then possibly getting sent to a cell for even longer. However there was still a chance that she might stumble upon a rich man drunk out of his mind so once the person had left the larder she wiggled her way out of the gap enough to have a quick look about in case there was someone watching. Happily there wasn't which meant that she might be able to use it again in a few days if it still seemed to be safe and undiscovered. With that she slipped out of the alley and jogged off into the night not bothering to stretch since she did not want anyone to know what she had been doing there. She came to a stop in the shadows of an alley facing an Inn, things had stated to die down but there was not a steady flow of people in or out which made it a bit hard to tell the time and the moon was covered by cloud and gave her no help either. None of the men coming out of the Inn looked like they were drunk enough to be careless with their money, She sat waiting watching for a while longer, before deciding that it was too late in the night for the Inn crowd, however if she hurried to the pub row along the wharf she was certain she would have some chance there. And if not the drunks from the pubs were generally far more entertaining, since most of them were sailors let off working vessels that were out fishing for the most part.

When she arrived at the strip of pubs she was not disappointed with her assessment of the hour, or where she would be better off. She could see men starting to stream from a few of them she watched these closely these first ones did not seem to be the sort she was interested in though they were good for a laugh however she began to feel uneasy. She glanced about wondering if there was a guard or Knight about, but she saw none. She slipped back further into the shadows wondering if it were an innkeeper or something like that. However the feeling stayed with her as if she were being watched closely. She skipped through the shadows of the alley away from the pubs and managed to get herself to the roofs which meant that she would have the top vantage point or at least the same vantage point. Unless she was being watched by a seagull, and the she was rightly screwed since they could fly and she would clearly be losing her mind if she thought a seagull was actually watching her.

The feeling subsided for a few moments and she narrowed her eyes. That meant that whoever it was had needed to hide from her but was still trying to watch her. She hoped it was not one of the top thieves she really did not need a run in with them or the heckling that they gave her since they thought her poorly educated in a 'gentleman's game' as they liked to call their profession. Or perhaps one of them had decided that they were sick of seeing her about hitting targets that they had also spotted, but were too slow to hit before her. If that were the case though, the only place she figured she would be safe was in a prison cell, the one place thieves tried to avoid like the plague. She headed back towards the pubs watching the shadowed locations that she would use to hide for indications of movement since she wanted to see who it was watching her as that would tell her how she needed to deal with them. Some she could get away with telling straight off and others she had to tip toe about and avoid entirely. Nothing moved however as she moved silently about trying to find the person watching her, her heart was pounding in her chest as she narrowed the gap and the person was not revealed. She had to pay attention to her breathing otherwise she was certain it would have been loud enough to wake the dead in the deeps of the sea. She paused, there were only a few hiding places left, and she figured at this point if they were after her to kill her they were either waiting for her to come o them, which meant she would be dead fast, or they were a jealous apprentice which meant she had a fighting chance. She crept forward silently listening for any clue as to where the tail that had been on her was. She heard a rustle right behind her at the last instant and she sprang forward spinning her hand going for her dagger however the person had not been aiming to strike her but grab her and soon she found herself half turned her arms pinned to her sides and a deep chuckle rumbling through the chest of her attacker.

"Master Balegil was right; you are a crafty devil for someone of your training." He said as he squeezed to still her squirming. She glanced up at him then, confused though her attempt to find some weakness in his grip had not subsided yet and he could not help but smirk. "What he could possibly see in a starved little street rat like you that he could use is beyond me, but I've got my orders. So you can either come peacefully or I can knock you out and carry you. It's your choice."


	6. Chapter 6

She looked up at the man confused as he squeezed harder until it was painful enough that she winced and was still. She had no idea who this Balegil was; she had very use for people's names she still mostly stole to survive for the most part. It was all she had ever known after all, so the thought of living comfortably was foreign to her. However she did not recognize it as one of the master thief's names which confused her, after all it was normally them that she ended up dealing with. This was something new and it worried her.

"Are you going to come along nicely girl?" The man asked again his voice hinting towards impatient but she gave a small nod. Better to see where she was going she figured than be knocked out and not know where she was or how to escape when she got there. He gave a nod but kept holding her tightly but shifted her so he could hold her with one hand suddenly there was a rag in her face and she felt herself collapsing and her eyes going wide in fear however it did not put her completely under and she looked up at the man slightly confused. "Sorry girl, I know you said you'd play nice, but I've seen you run before and I'm not about to waste my night chasing you." With that he scooped her up into his arms. "You'll see where you are going though I promise you that¸ and by the time we get there you'll be capable of running again am sure." His reassurances were for the most part lost on her as she tried o fight the drug. It had been used on her once before and she was not overly fond of it. However this man was gentle with her at least making sure that she was protected from the worst jostles as he got her from the roof tops to the streets below. He carried her right out in the open and the guards looked at him and at her but they did nothing and she wanted to scream but the drug kept her calm aside from a low pitiful groan.

"Too much to drink." That was the excuse. If they came near it was believable too, her face smelled sweet like honey mead but it certainly was not alcohol that had done her in what shocked her though is that he carried her through the merchant district. She had thought that they would dump her somewhere there with an employer, but instead he carried her through it, and through Gate town, all the way to the Cliffs where most of the noble houses and their ilk dwelt. Her heart was pounding; she had angered some noble merchant she was sure of it already she could feel some of her mobility returning to her and her captor sped his steps not wanting to deal with a fully mobile and angry thief no matter how small she was compared to him. That was Balegil's job, even if the noble had told him to catch her and bring her to him however he could, preferably without hurting her.

"Almost there little bag of bones." He said with a chuckle as her hand gripped his tunic and her eyes which had been heavily lidded before were now flashing angrily at him despite the fact they were also roaming and taking in where she could escape to, which alleys were the darkest what path they were taking. She was good. Suddenly they stood before a large iron gate and two men dressed in black stood in their way.

"A delivery for the Lord."

"It's about time." Came a voice from behind the guards at the gate and she shuddered seeing the face. It was the man that had been in the market earlier in the day. He had been chasing her down with guards and knights then, now he had a thief catch her. She had to wonder at him after all, Lords as he had been called rarely bothered to deal with her kind, or those that were better than her save to dole out punishments. The gate swung open and she found herself being stood on her feet though she was still shaky and not fully in control. There was a cold disapproving look at her as he reached out to steady her and she flinched away despite the drug.

"You drugged her?"

"Better things to do than chase her down when she's got a head start jumping down off of a building or back up onto one." The man said with a shrug.

"True enough I suppose Talin." The man said shaking his head before turning back to her. "You though must think me some sort of monster, I promise you now harm will come to you inside these walls." He said motioning at the tall gated court yard and the large house. She glanced around clearly unimpressed with his reassurance, and he smiled sadly. "I am afraid I can give you no more assurances than that, though by your face you have had such assurances broken , but not by a Lord and a Knight of the Prince of Dol Amroth. If you have you've my word I'll end their lives faster than the Prince can plead for mercy on their behalf."

She nodded finally deciding that whatever this Lord was planning was more likely along the lines of getting her to steal something from Middle Port than anything else.

"Alright so you know my name then might I ask you yours?" The Lord said with a look of elation on his face and it was something that she did not understand she looked at him strangely not understanding why he was asking such a strange question.

"What do you want?" At that Balegil frowned and Talin as he had been called chuckled.

"Nothing child just your name, and if your father was a fisherman at the very most." The Lord said slightly confused.

Talin chuckled as he held her steady, though he could feel her testing to see just what her body was capable of now. "He has got no uses for the likes of your thieving ways." This caused an uncomfortable shift and Talin rolled his eyes slightly. "Just give him your name already, he's looking to take you in, apparently has been for almost ten years."

She shifted again looking from the thief that had stolen her off of the streets and the man that had ordered it. Not sure what they were up to however finally she looked at the lord once more and bit her lip.

"Me father was a fisher." She said finally and then fell quiet, this brought a nod from the lord as if asking her to continue but she didn't. She just stared at the lord blankly.

"Your name?" The Lord asked giving Talin another glare.

"I ain't got one, never had one." She said softly looking away. Every person she knew on the street had a name given to them by someone. She had not been given one though; it was something that had helped make sure that she had made no friends as a child just starting on the streets.

"Your father had to call you something!" The Lord exclaimed slightly annoyed at her reaction. Mostly because he could not understand how anyone could manage without a name, she glanced at the gate behind her it was closed now and she doubted that she would be able to get over the high wall before the soldiers could out run her position. Talin seemed to catch her thinking and gave her arm another squeeze.

"Just tell him your name already girl. I've better things to do than stand here making sure you don't run off before he gives you his proposition for you." His brow was furrowed angrily as he glared down at her; she looked up at him then hung her head staring at her boots for a moment.

"Mot." She said softly. "If he were angry e'd add useless to it, or whore." She said softly and the two men fell silent. "I never got given a name so if you want more than that." She paused "I can't tell ya what I don't know." There was silence and she was almost afraid to look at them to see how angry they were at her.


	7. Chapter 7

When she did finally look up both of them were looking at her in disbelief and she shifted her weight, Balegil was staring at her hard and finally he licked his lips.

"And you've never come up with a name for yourself?" Balegil spoke finally after some time, she shook her head.

"Name's something someone else gives you and nobody's ever been round me long enough to bother with it."

"By the Valar." He muttered and walked away and she could not help but wonder what was going to happen to her. She did not understand why a name was so important, of course she had never had one. She shifted and the grip that had been relaxed on her arm tightened again and her captor Talin looked down at her calmly and shook his head. She would not be getting away she decided as long as he was about, something she was quite upset about. "Alright child," The lord turned about towards her once more and she looked up at him horribly nervous about what he was going to do with her, or ask of her.

"You're a thief, I understand that well enough, but you don't understand any of the finer workings of society, or you'd have given yourself a name." He scowled slightly at the thought of having to deal with naming someone that he was going to at some point hopefully employ. "I'm going to teach you proper manners and how to read and write because I'm willing to bet you're not too well learned on those considering your father. During this time you will stay in this house and keep yourself out of trouble, that means no thieving at all, you won't need to you'll be fed and clothed," he gave a sniff of the air as he drew near and looked at her causing her to shrink back, she had seen that before, "And bathed." He paused for a moment and looked her over.

"You will then have the choice to either work for me, or I will send you to another Lord that will give you work proper enough for a child such as yourself." She wanted to run and she looked about nervously, she did not like the sounds of the work he was offering though he was very vague about it. She could feel Talin shifting his weight and the grip on her arm released slightly since the Lord had now said his piece. She shifted her weight back and forth trying to decide what to do, she didn't really want to be stuck taking care of some noble woman and doing laundry, she didn't think she'd be much good at that at all.

"What sort of work?" She asked cautiously, behind her Talin chuckled under his breath. He had not expected her to question a gift like this, but then again she had more than likely gotten a few offers that were similar to this hat were not nearly as noble.

"House work mostly I should think." Balegil said calmly and was shocked to see the girl shake her head.

"No sir then, I'd rather stay nameless and run the risk of becoming rat feed than live in one of yer cages." She said hoping that her refusal of such work did not anger him enough to kill her. She would not stay in some stuffy house the rest of her life though she knew that much. Reading and writing would be useful enough she knew that much, but she figured she'd also get married off at some point and she would be stuck doing something she had not done since their house had been burnt down. She glanced towards the gates figuring she'd done her part and listened to the proposal that Talin had said she would get. The streets were no life by most standards but it was fine enough for her as far as she was concerned. The grip on her arm was gone as well Talin had let her go and she glanced at Lord Balegil who was staring at her confused.

"You are telling me that you would rather be o the streets than clothed and fed?" He asked finally.

"I'm clothed and fed right now. Maybe not in the manner you would think is acceptable but its well enough for me." She said furrowing her brow; she did not understand why he was so worried about her. It made no sense, she had been alone for so long without anyone to care for her aside from herself that what this lord was offering was too good to be true.

"If I were to give you work running messages for me and gathering information on the streets?" She paused and looked at him, she was not too sure about what he was getting at but she gave a nod, though this was something that made her even more wary of him, after all what he seemed to want to do with her was only getting better for her. She wasn't sure where the pay off for him was.

"I might." She said softly still trying to figure out what was in it for him to teach a dirty little street rat like her and then employ her t do most of what she did now.

"You realize that doing so would mark you to the thieves and spies if they caught you and they would likely torture you and kill you because you work for a noble and a Knight."

"Ain't no different than now really 'cept the fact I'd be working for you." She said calmly she saw the lord look to the thief behind her as if to see if this were the truth. Talin must have confirmed it from the sigh the noble gave.

"A child use to living under the threat of death, and I'm going to put her right back into the gauntlet." He said pinching his nose. "If only I'd managed to find and catch you years ago." He said shaking his head. "Fine Valar damn me if they must. Talin take her inside, make sure she gets bathed and put into the room that was prepared."

With that she felt Talin brush past her and he glanced over his shoulder as if to tell her to follow she started after him but the Lord reached out to touch her and she instinctively avoided the hand coming at her.

"Just remember child while you're learning in my house you will behave yourself and not go out thieving." The Lord said as he pulled his hand back. "You seem to have skill enough in that area."

She looked at him closely but gave a slow nod, how long after all could learning to read and write take?


	8. Chapter 8

She stopped for a moment as Talin headed straight to the imposing stone house. He glanced back and saw her staring up at it Balegil stopped a number of paces behind her not wanting to spook her since clearly she did not enjoy being touched.

"It's late and I have work to do yet, you can come and stare at the stonework tomorrow." Talin said finally as he opened the door having given her a few moments. She looked at him glanced back up but started walking again, deciding he was right, she'd be able to see more in the day light she was sure though she could now see the faintest hints of purple in the black night sky.

She looked at the heavy wooden doors and glanced at Talin who held it open for her, and she wondered how heavy it was as he looked at her. The journey through the house was done in silence save for the soft clicking of Balegil's boots and odd bits of information that came from the knight as he followed them from room to room, Talin also added in the odd bit of information, that Balegil was certain was more for the thief in her to know than it was the proper young lady that he hoped to turn her into. She nodded more towards Talins bits of information though as she found them far more useful. Most of which were where the other doorways led to that they were not using and what floor they were on, those were the comments that she appreciated and the ones that kept her calm as they wound their way up to the third floor where finally a door stood down a hallway with two servant women standing by it.

"So this is the little lass!" Came the cheery voice of the older looking woman of the two, her face was round and pleasant enough however that was not something to be trusted in as far as she was concerned. "Come now little one! What's your name, our Lord has kept us waiting since he said he didn't know it!"

"That's not important right now Aliriel if you could though, go fetch enough hot water for a good bath, she is in need of one before she goes to sleep." At this the woman, Aliriel gave a nod and the two women were off. With that the three entered the room. It was small, but good enough for the likes of her, better than what the likes of her deserved she thought glumly as she looked at the bed which seemed to be stuffed with nice fresh feathers, and there were several blankets and a pillow and a great chest at the foot of the bed as well as a wardrobe. She shifted nervously looking at them afraid almost to touch them as if she did she figured she would wake up and find herself in some horribly nightmare and that she'd been put out by the drugs and was now on some ship on its way to Umbar and the Corsair City. She heard enough talk about those places from sailors that had less than sterling reputations.

"Alright so a name for you-" Balegil said turning to her; she stood stock still for a moment.

"Faeliniel?" Talin offered, but Balegil shook his head.

"No." He paused and looked at his thieves and gave a small smile, she looked between the two of them Balegil seemed to be pleased with himself and Talin got a wary look on his face. "I should think Taelindwyn." At that Talin scowled.

"She is not my lady." He said grumpily.

"She is the female version of you as far as I am concerned." Balegil said with finality to the thief before turning to her. "What do you think of your new name Taelindwyn?"

She frowned slightly and said it slowly. "Taelindwyn." At first Balegil thought that perhaps she was thinking the same thin as Talin. "Seems awful fancy to me but a names a name I suppose." At that Balegil smiled and nodded.

"Good then." With that he gave a nod. "Now those ladies will help you get cleaned up and then you are to rest for the remainder of the night if you can."

To that she nodded and he and Talin left, Talin casting a glare at her for not refusing the name Balegil had given her. She stood waiting in her room for a moment before going and looking about a bit more; she opened up the drawers slowly and carefully and found them empty. The tall wardrobe in the corner was empty as well save for on long white gown thing, which she did not understand its use at all when she looked at it.

"Aye child there shan't be any dresses in there for a day or so didn't know what size you were or if you had any belongings." Aliriel said causing her to jump and shut the door on the wardrobe hastily. The older woman chuckled and shook her head before her and the other girl poured the hot water they had brought into the tub.

"Come child, you are as jumpy as a thief in the Swan Knights barracks." Aliriel said, and Taelindwyn looked away. "You aren't a thief-" The woman paused recognizing the look of fear. "You are aren't you?" At that the woman chuckled, the younger one looked slightly disgusted.

"What's your name child?"

"Balegil calls e Taelindwyn." She said softly.

"And what do you call yourself?" The lady asked heading over to her and gently started to pull of the dirt covered clothing that she was wearing.

"Taelindwyn I suppose." She said backing away from Aliriels hands as they managed to undo the top jerkin that she wore. She wore several layers of clothing none of which properly fit her and the older woman gave a small tsk noise.

"We will have to get you some right proper clothing as well it seems now come on, either let me undress you or undress yourself so we can take these dirty clothes away and get you all washed up so you can sleep all proper like." Taelindwyn lowered her head and began unbuttoning her second layer of clothing Aliriel passed them to her helper as Taelindwyn handed them to her and she became worried after the fourth layer of clothing if there was any girl under all the clothing. Her worries were not entirely founded, and Taelindwyn headed over to the tub her head bent slightly out of shame as Aliriel looked her over. She was thin, painfully so to a motherly figure but not deathly so. Taelindwyn watched as the other girl was dismissed with the bundle of clothing, her dagger and a few coppers and a few bread crusts had been set carefully on the dresser and Aliriel seemed t understand that those were her only possessions. Of them the older woman wondered which meant more to the child, the bread or the dagger. It was not a question that Taelindwyn would answer though and instead she found soft and gentle hands running over her shoulders helping to wash away months of grime, she'd not had a proper bath since the winter hit, the water was too cold to bath and the sun had no heat to it. However the water she was in was very warm and soon the dirt on her skin was scrubbed clean leaving pale porcelain white, though it was marred by bruises and a few scars that Taelindwyn flinched at when Aliriel brushed her fingers over them. Her hair though was still a dirty tangled mess and she thought about dunking her head under but with someone else there she was quite worried that she would be held under the water to drown. After all she knew that she was a thief and that the Knights did not approve of such people. Why Balegil wanted anything to do with her was still eluding her. She yelped as warm water splashed on her head, causing Aliriel to laugh.

"Oh come now child! The water hasn't gotten cold yet! And don't tell me you were so deep in thought that you didn't realize you still had to wash your hair!" Taelindwyn glanced at her hand and saw a small bowl and tried her best to relax as Aliriel poured water on her head and tried to coax the mud and grime out of her hair. The water had started to cool by the time the older lady had gotten most of the dirt and tangles out however the water was now dirtier than anything Aliriel had ever seen before and Taelindwyn shifted nervously as she got out of the water and found herself wrapped in a thick cloth and was scrubbed down again though this time she was being dried off. The floor beneath her bare feet was cold and Taelindwyn fought to keep her jaw from chattering Aliriel chucked at her before helping her into the shift she had seen in the closet. She stood nervously before Aliriel sat her down and began to comb out her tangled hair. Soon her hair was down from her shoulders to her midback and Aliriel was running her fingers through it both women surprised at the length of it.

"You've got enough length to put your hair up like a right proper lady of the court." Aliriel said softly before putting it into a neat plait. "You should probably go to bed child, the morning comes early and you've had a long night." At that Taelindwyn looked a bit confused, but then remembered that most people did not keep her hours. And most people were not thieves. She nodded and headed for the bed and crawled under the covered as Aliriel watched before starting to clean.


	9. Chapter 9

She must have fallen asleep again, perhaps the stress of what had happened the night before had allowed it to happen normally she wouldn't fall asleep until late afternoon when activity at the markets slowed down and there were generally as many guards as there were decent marks. She woke up though to someone slipping into her room, and she was immediately out of the bed and on the far side of it, the action caused a loud yelp of surprise and another person to rush in, She bolted for the window and was half out of it when strong arms wrapped about her midsection and pulled her back into the room.

"That is enough child." It was a deep voice and she remembered what had happened the night before and Balegil, the Knight that had struck a deal with her. She was still trembling but she did not resist as he set her down, "Aliriel, when you have got her dressed call me back in." With that Taelindwyn watched as Balegil left and both she and the servant woman staring at each other, the older woman gave a nervous chuckle.

"Never seen anyone leap out of bed before. It's not something I'm use to."

"I'm not use to people wandering into where I am sleeping." Taelindwyn said standing still.

"I suppose not." With that she held out a dress and Taelindwyn frowned.

"A dress?"

"Ladies don't wear pants, and besides none of the servant boys clothing would fit you. They get worn out too fast. The girls are gentler on their clothing." Aliriel said and Taelindwyn looked at the dress it was a plain thing, brown but well made. It was made to fit properly on someone that was perhaps a little bigger than she was but she did not have the first clue of how to put on a dress. After all she had never owned one in her entire life, useless fancies as her father had called them.

Aliriel took the dress, sensing her confusion from her and began slipping it on over the smock. "Don't worry I think Balegil is planning on getting some clothing made for you by tomorrow anyways so you'll be back to looking like a boy."

"Better a boy then some possible play thing." Taelindwyn muttered as she looked at the dress in disgust. The hands that were working on tying the back shut paused.

"A play thing? Oh come now child a dress does not make you a play thing."

"No but it makes it harder to escape when you're trapped by those that would turn you into one." She said as the dress was tied shut.

"That might be true but that's what Knights and Lords and fathers are for." Taelindwyn gave her a deadpan look which confused Aliriel but the older woman headed to the door. "My lord I've got her dressed, you may come in and talk with her." With that the Knight returned to the room and nodded approvingly.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a rabbit in a snare set to bait wolves." Taelindwyn said dryly and that caused the Lord to raise an eyebrow.

"That is a new one." He returned with a slight shake of his head. "But I suppose a dress on the streets will get you killed far easier in a trade such as yours." To that Taelindwyn gave a nod and Aliriel seemed to understand Taelindwyn's reservations a bit remembering the comment the night before that she had passed which had turned the child as white as a sheet.

"Do not worry, we shall get you out of dresses soon enough, but for today you will have to make due. Tomorrow there will be new clothing for you, though I'm not coming up with a man's sleeping shift for you. That one you wore last night will do." Again she nodded that she supposed she could accept. She hazarded a glance to the dresser and did her best to hide the dismay that threatened to overcome her, the bread crusts she had saved were gone her coppers and the small blade were still there though she looked at Aliriel who smiled.

"There is plenty of fresh baked bread in the kitchens and you're more than welcome to it as long as it has had a chance to cool, and the stew we'll be having later and then whatever else they cook up for evening meal." Taelindwyn did not believe her and looked to Balegil who nodded.

"We should give you a proper tour of your new home, however we will start with the kitchens if you should like since the look on your face tells me you do not believe me." Balegil said with a chuckle causing her to look away embarrassed. It would be that the tiny little thief thought with her stomach first and her head second, a decent enough trait really and one that the Lord could most certainly live with. After all it was rare for someone to try to bribe away a thief or criminals loyalty wit food, and she only had a few coppers, she had not been loaded down with coins and trinkets pulled off of victims. She nodded slowly to that and Balegil offered her his arm and she stared at him blankly for a moment before he reached out and gently took her hand. She trembled at the touch, how long had it been since she had let any touch her? The Lord wondered but she did not pull away as she had last night, he set it in the crook of his elbow and smiled.

"When a gentleman offers you his arm it is the polite thing to take it." He said softly to Taelindwyn nodded still clearly unhappy about it but complying none the less. He would likely need to warn any friends that offered to take her hand in greeting that she likely would not accept, and not out of haughtiness. With that he led her out and soon she found herself in a kitchen that was bigger than the entire house that her father had owned when she was a child. She stared wide eyed at the giant pots and the great fireplaces and ovens and the bustle as the morning meal was being prepared. Taelindwyn instinctively dropping the Lords arm and ignoring the smiles and smirks on the faces of some of the kitchen staff as well as the Lord himself. Her mind was entirely upon the baking that she had seen and smelt across the room, something that seemed to keep the best on the streets and was the easiest to take. She stood before it her hands out and her eyes aglow and Balegil laughed loud enough to stop a few of the workers that had not been expecting such an outburst.

"Girl! You look like you've found a dragon treasure trove with the look on your face! They are simple loaves!" He said coming up beside her and a sheepish look appeared on her face and she turned away embarrassed, the thought that all of this food was available to her was more than she had ever thought possible. Indeed she was simple minded when it came to such things, and she had not believe Aliriel when she said there would be plenty of food available to her. After all how could all of this food possibly be eaten in one day? She thought glancing over several pots that seemed to be full of glorious food.

"I'm sorry." She said softly glancing about wondering at a safe place to tuck her hands, after all the dress had no pockets and she did not want to embarrass herself any further by reaching for food that she should not be touching.

"Don't be child, though I would not suggest eating those particular loaves, they are quite fresh and will burn your hands and mouth faster than you can yelp hot." Balegil said reaching further over and picking up a smaller bit of baking. Taelindwyn had seen them in the market but had never bothered with them; they were messy and filled with fruit and not at all good to hide in ones pockets. "This though is something I am sure you will enjoy and it won't burn you." He held it out to her and she took it looking at it strangely for a moment before biting into it. Apparently she did that wrong as well Aliriels helper snorted loudly as she bit into it taking a good third of the tart into her mouth at once, Balegil looked like he was about to laugh as well though he swallowed the laughter long enough to cast a glare at the younger servant. Taelindwyn realised why she had snorted though as she struggled to keep the messy treat in her mouth and not have it fall across her clothing. She knew that staining her clothing this early would probably not be a good thing and after a few moments struggle she managed to swallow without causing a mess beyond the bits of fruit at the corner of her mouth. Balegil gave a small chuckle.

"Like I said child, there is plenty of food here for you, no need to eat it as fast as that." With that he reached and picked up another of the fruit filled bits of baking and took a small bite. Taelindwyn watched him closely.

"They are quite good are they not?" He asked hoping to get a response from her. He was only slightly disappointed when her only reply was a simple nod and not some enthusiastic smile like he had hoped for. It was however a proper answer none the less and he smiled as she finished off the last of the tart. He picked up another one and motioned for her to follow him. She looked at the tarts longingly but followed leaving the food behind. She was not about to take food without permission. Balegil missed her look at the tarts as he continued to show her about, leading her around and introducing her to everyone that he seemed to think she should know, including the head of his houses guard. This made her nervous and she glanced to Balegil wondering if this man had been told what she was. He smiled at her though giving her a small smirk.

"Skittish little filly. A lot like a few of the yearlings in the stable that need to start their training." He said giving her a wink and she licked her lips, she had to assume that he did know with that comment, but what she could not tell was if his smiles and his casualness was a result of him not caring, or a result of her standing there with the Lord he served.

"Good point, I just about forgot!" Balegil said turning about. "I was going to show you the stables and the gardens but you have lessons to learn and you do not want to be late for them!" He said with a smile nodding to the Captain of the Guard and heading back for the house, Taelindwyn in tow. "Master Hansen does not like tardiness in the least, and I should not want to be the reason you and he get off on the bad foot on your first day of lessons."

Taelindwyn frowned slightly not understanding exactly what Balegil meant but she was certain that she would find out. Lessons it seemed sounded a lot more stressful than meeting the Captain of the guard, though perhaps if it had been longer than the few moments she would not have found it as easy as it had seemed either.


	10. Chapter 10

Taelindwyn glared angrily at the maid as she sat sewing as the maid called it. Balegil thought it would be good for her to learn a proper skill for her gender. Her anger was not so much at the maid but at Balegil himself for thinking she needed to learn such an annoying skill when if she needed something she could steal it or the money to pay for it. She thought dourly. This had no point as far as she was concerned, not that reading and writing was doing any better really than it had been a week ago. She was so distracted she did not even notice that Talin was watching her until she managed to catch her finger once more with the needle staining the garment that she was to make herself for what felt to her like the hundredth time. She threw the garment aside despite the protest of the maid as she stood and stormed out of the room, catching sight of Talin and Balegil watching her. She narrowed her eyes and changed her path wanting to deal with neither of them, Talin because he had brought her to this cage and Balegil because he seemed bent on making her suffer mundane chores to try to make her a respectable woman.

She headed for the stables, having discovered that Balegil thought she needed to do more than watch if she was in the kitchen she needed to learn to make a proper meal for guests, the stables were for men. There were no feminine tasks to be done there and it had become her haven in the last few days while the rest of the castle had become a cage that was getting tighter and tighter.

Her attempt at escaping Balegil was short lived as he rounded a different corner setting her on her heals, he looked angry with her. An emotion she now harboured for him at times like this.

"You aren't finished your sewing." Balegil said grabbing her arm and starting to lead her back.

"And I am not some maid to be commanded about to do tasks." She hissed breaking her arm free from his grip.

"You are in my house, being fed and clothed by me, sheltered and taught! You will respect my wishes." He snapped grabbing her hard and shoving her against the wall as he glowered down on her.

"Learning to be a hand maid was not part of the agreement not stealing and behaving was." She said trying to leave again pushing on his arm she was in no mood to deal with this, the tutor had ridiculed her once more for barely being able to read and write a few basic rules, and then to be forced to sew afterwards until dinner! "Now I've behaved myself well enough and I am sick of being your bi-"

Her face felt then as if it has burst into flames and her ears were ringing, she didn't even realize she was sitting on the floor until Balegil picked her up by her shirt.

"Your behaviour has been far from acceptable - reminded what a lady does." She stood staring past him what he had just said had sounded so distant and she only caught parts of what he was saying. Her hand went to her face and when she pulled it back she was bleeding, the touch to her face had broken the tiny bead that had been forming on her lip and it spilled down her chin and she stared at her fingers for a moment coated in red. When she finally did look at him she did not see Balegil, the tall proud nobleman was replaced with the image of her father, angry and bellowing holding her up by her shirt and she shook then in fear a tiny sob, one that should come from a child escaped her lips and she did not even realise she had started speaking until the grip released from her shirt and she found her feet again though they threatened to not hold her. The contact with the ground brought her back to reality and she looked at Balegil wide eyed, he was pale and stood stone still she glanced at her hand and bolted.

At first she thought for the stables her original plan but Talin the thief was in her path and so she raced up the stairs for her room. Behind her there were no thundering footsteps she was not being followed though as she reached the floor where her room was she pushed past Aliriel who let out a gasp at the sight of her and tried to follow her to her room however the young thief was faster than the maid and she slammed the door shut behind her and locked it. She leaned heavily against the door for a moment or two shouting for Aliriel to just leave her alone. Something the maid seemed hesitant to do. Taelindwyn headed for the mirror and looked at her face it was swelling slightly and her lip was split she shook as she touched it. It had been a long time since anyone had struck her that way and her rage began to boil over.

She had been caged and now she knew what the price was for not following the whims of a Lord, and she was better off without learning to read and write she decided and with that she went to the window. Talin and Balegil would of course be undoubtedly blocking her exit through the house but she had looked at the walls several times and had seen cracks in them from outside she shoved the windows open and glared at the door angrily before climbing out onto the sill and beginning to climb down the wall.

She had made it perhaps five feet when a cry came up from the court yard and she glanced down after hurrying another distance down the wall her fingers screaming at her for their tiny purchase that she found to hold herself up by. The courtyard was filling. She would not make it out that way she though glancing about nervously as she dropped several feet onto the roof of the kitchen, already men were clambering up ladders towards her their eyes wide, not knowing what had happened that she had exited in such a strange manner. However she saw her escape and ran for it and soon she was on the wall and the guard rushing out the gate to meet her in the alley but she was faster than them and stayed ahead of them until she was out into Gate town.

There she lost the guards easily enough, and sank weakly down beside a chimney on a roof top, here she would not have to worry about guards or soldiers, she didn't even realise it until a ragged sob escaped her that she was in tears. She had not cried in years and she did not understand why she was crying now. She had come to hate the monotony of being taught how to be a lady that came with learning to read and write, and yet she missed it in some strange way. She shuddered as she managed to hush the ragged gasps though the tears kept flowing as she rubbed them away harshly remembering that the guards were not likely the only people Balegil had out looking for her to bring her back. She stood and found herself in Balegil's grasp. The older thief was looking at her, his hand went to her chin and lifted it to his face and he looked at the cut in her lip his expression giving her nothing to go by. She watched his hand and stayed perfectly still, knowing if she got a chance to escape it would be only one, and she should not put him on edge thinking she would flee.

"He should not have struck you." The thief said calmly apparently happy that the wound was for the most part superficial. "Though I am surprised you stayed long enough to raise his ire so." She looked at him narrowing her eyes wondering why he was toying with her when they both knew he could easily over power her. She had been sloppy. Her wits dulled by a long vacation in luxury, perhaps she should be grateful it was Balegil that had found her and not some other thief with a mind to gut her and leave her to rot. Suddenly she was released from his arms and he stepped back.

"I did not come to take you back." He stated and she took a few steps back.

"Then why did you come?" She asked not sure if she could trust this thief, he had already proven she should not let him near at all once.

"To make sure you are safe for the night. Balegil forced you to stop doing what has kept you alive, and he broke your agreement by striking you, he wishes to apologize and to let you know you can return at any time." He said with a smirk, "I figure it's not fair to let you stay out here on your own with skills unused for so long."

"Nobody cared the first night I was on the streets." She hissed finding his concern for her insulting rather than enduring.

"Your first night on the streets came because your father was pathetic and starved and beat you from what I hear. Not exactly that far from being on the streets." Talin snapped his browed pinching together and anger bubbling up in his voice. "Perhaps I should beat you as your father did and then leave you to the streets tonight."

She flinched and bolted then and Talin gave chase, she however had heard more than enough from him she had no plans of suffering that again. The two soon were out of Gate town and into the Ports areas that Balegil while he did travel them did not often need to travel them the same way as Taelindwyn had not long ago and she outpaced him easily enough. Dodging down several narrow corridors that led to mazes of their own with several option to choose she soon tucked herself away having lost Balegil on the rooftops in a hole in a the Inn where the back wall had heaved and broken away slightly. She had used it weeks before and from the dust on the ground it had not been used since. She would stay there until tomorrow, though she wondered what she would do in the morning.


	11. Chapter 11

Time was slipping past slowly and Taelindwyn had thought on what she would do the entire time, rest was not finding her, perhaps because she was too afraid that Talin would find her and make it so that she did not have the ability to chose. Several times people had come and gone from the larder she listened to them closely enough to tell they were nowhere near her in the cellar and continued to keep herself safely tucked away. However something caught her attention in the Inn as she laid there the muted noises of a few drunken sailors and merchants suddenly fell silent. The building went silent and she peaked into the larder through the crates that were stacked on the shelf beside her in time to see one of the barmaids flee into the rooms straight towards her followed by someone else. She tried to get a look at him but she could not see his face just his robes and his sword. She stared at the blade for a moment, it looked similar to the blades the Swan Knights carried, but it was covered in blood from hilt to tip. The barmaid screamed loudly and before she could move she found the shelf she was hidden behind rammed into her as the maid was slammed into it from behind pinning her.

Her first instinct was to try to get away as fast as possible, but before she could do that she had to move the crates and it would take her far too long to do that if that man was still there. She struggled to keep her breathing under control as her heart was in her throat the bar maid was still thrashing about as the life bled from her until several things from the shelf were on top of her a few of them hurting when they landed but she had to keep quiet. She tried her best to catch sight of the man's face but from where she was it was impossible. As soon as the barmaid had died he turned about and headed out of the larder. She stayed still several moments longer wanting him to be long down the hallways that lead to the larder before she moved she did not want to deal with him. When she heard several more cries as well as an alarm from outside from the guards she moved then hoping that those noises would hide the ones she was about to make. She shoved the crates and the shelves away a few jars breaking as well before scrambling out of her hiding place. She had to tell Balegil what she had seen. The guards knew her as a thief and she doubted she would earn herself more than a trip to the Gate Tower if she showed herself right about now. She did not bother to see if there was anyone watching her, her goal was Balegil and avoiding whoever that man was long enough so that she could tell someone what had happened.

She did not notice that one of the guards on duty was from Balegil's house as she clambered up a wall so that she would have a good straight run towards Gate Town and then to the Cliffs. She glanced to the sky and hoped that Balegil had not yet left to go to court or whatever it was he did all day. With that she ran.

She had made it to the Cliffs easily enough having dropped back to the streets at Gate Town, she could not run as fast without drawing attention but she was still moving at a good pace running whenever she could without people seeing her, when the gates to Balegil's house came in sight though she ran for them as fast as she could. She gripped the hard iron bars that barred her way her breath heaving as she tried to tell the guard that she needed to speak to Balegil. The guard caught nodded and started to open the gate when another cry came.

"Arrest her!" Taelindwyn turned looking confused as did the guard for a moment, and the guards were on her. She yelped in surprise as one of them tackled her to the ground and two others worked at shackling her. A voice hissed in her ear "Glad to know you did not change from being a filthy street rat despite what my Lord saw in you." With that she was hauled to her feet just as Balegil arrived at the gate.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"There was a man at-" Taelindwyn's head snapped sharply to the side and she felt her kip open up again.

"I saw this one running from the Mermaid's Tail Inn, bloodied, several merchants were killed and the barmaid serving them." The guard said calmly. "We are taking her to the castle dungeons." To that Balegil nodded his eyes narrowing at Taelindwyn who stared at him pleadingly but he motioned instead for her to be taken away, perhaps it was for the best his patience had snapped and he had struck her. If she was a killer as well as a thief he had better things to do than keep one such as her around.

"Please! You have to find him!" She cried desperately "I didn't" again her head snapped about, the guards wanting nothing of her story. The walk was uneventful, the night was not yet over and it would be a short while before any of them began setting up their wares to peddle; however she caught a dark flash in an alley and prayed it was Talin, and perhaps he would listen to her.

"He was in grey!" She shouted loud enough that anyone on the block could hear her, "And he had a long sword like a Knights." This time she just about doubled over as the blow landed on her stomach knocking the breath from her.

"Shut up you stupid wench, your stories will not work on us." She gasped trying to catch another glimpse in the alleys they passed but there was none and she was struggling to breath.

She remembered how sickly his hand was it was the only part of him that she had seen, he had looked like a dead man, and it was the last thing she got out before suddenly there was a flurry of activity about her and she found Talin standing before her. He shook his hand and glared at her as she sank to her knees and shut her eyes.

"No time for that." He said and pulled her back to her feet. "Your arrival at the dungeon was announced by other guards that went ahead of you." With that he turned her about and unlocked the shackles about her wrists. "You need to run."

"Where?" She asked as he held her arm and half dragged her through the city.

"West. East there is only Mordor and Harad." Talin said calmly, "I can get you out of the city, and can stall them but only for so long." To that Taelindwyn nodded and did her best to keep up. She was unsure how she would survive, she had never been outside the city, and Talin did not think she would be able to hide from the Swan Knights and all the guards. She did not know who had been killed beyond a bar maid, but it seemed as if all of the forces had been mustered which made her agree with Talin's assessment of what would happen to her.

It did not take long for them to reach the walls and she looked over the wide expanse before her. The rocky crags and the grass was something she had never seen before and she glanced to Talin who looked out at the lands beyond Dol Amroth and then to her. He handed her a dagger and gave her a nod. They said nothing more as she slipped down the wall and out into the wilds of Middle-earth.


	12. Chapter 12

**For those that are reading this as I update, please go back and read the end of chapter 11 as I have changed it!**

It had been months since she had fled Dol Amroth, and she had only a few days head start, fortunately though late winter storms had smashed against the coast and covered her trail and had given her an advantage. The horses of the Knights were more of a hindrance in the thick wet snows and the damp cold slowed them more than it did her though she was moving slowly as well. She however did not feel the need to stop and make sure that she was going to survive, unlike the horses her survival depended instead on her running and staying ahead of the knights, and she could not tell how long winters death grip would hold. It could be days or weeks left before spring was upon them. The coast swayed between the two at this time, she remembered her father talking of this in his drunken rants to her as a child and the other fishermen of Middle Port often cursed winter and the storms it brought while it fought to keep hold. However it was getting colder, something she had not expected as she travelled west, she knew that she was travelling north as well, and that the mountains were causing the storms to get worse the closer they came to the shore. However she was not ready for the vast fields of snow that greeted her when she finally made it past the mountains. She stood in shock for several moments before glancing back at the way she had come. She had heard horses several nights previous and she needed to keep running; she turned then and followed the mountains north. After all, most of the cities of Gondor from what she had learned in the few weeks she had been kept by Balegil were along mountains. She could only hope that she found a city to hide in and steal what she needed to survive this cold soon. As it was her boots and clothing were worn thin, and her shirt she had torn herself to wrap her hands against the increasing cold. She had not felt anything in the last several days aside from pain and numbness. Of them she was not sure which she preferred, though the pain let her know that she was still alive the fact that she was being hunted for murders she had not committed made her wish that she were already dead. After all if none but a fellow thief believed her what was the point?

Talin. She thought of him and wondered what his fate had been. Surely Balegil had discovered that it had been him that had freed her. Had he been imprisoned for it? Had he been killed? These were the thoughts that flooded her mind as she trudged wearily through the snow. The cold harsh crunch ringing in her ears and she worried that perhaps the knights that she knew were still pursuing her could hear them. Who had been killed that she needed to be hunted down in such a way? Certainly not the Prince, she would have been killed on the spot for such an action, perhaps another Lord of the city? She sank then in a snow bank as it gave way under her slight weight. She struggled to pull herself from it, the only comfort it gave her was that if she could not even cross this snow without sinking, there was no chance a horse would fare any better than her. She had lost far more weight that what was healthy. She knew it. She ate snow for liquids and chewed on anything that she could find, out here in the wilds though there was little of nutritional value unless she sought it in the sea. However she had no line or net nor did she have the time to take on such a task and now she was traveling far from the sea and it was only a distant salty smell and the faint cry of gulls that did not venture over the snowy lands but kept to the open sea where they could find food.

"Oh that I had wings." She murmured thinking that it would be a wondrous thing to fly with the gulls. She would of course still be cursed as a thief, but instead of being condemned for it men would laugh at their folly for letting a gull snatch their food from them. It was something she had wanted since she had been left by her father, a simple child's wish she thought with a snort, one that she still wished for. It was her sanity though, her simple wishes but they were fading fast with the harsh reality that faced her even as she made it past the snow bank. She would be dead soon and all the fanciful wishes she had would amount to nothing. It was not a reassuring reality, but she was not going to die prisoner of some crime that she had not committed, she would rather die cold and alone. Something that she had at least come to terms with years ago when she had first found herself abandoned and orphaned with no food or home to go to, it was not something that she wanted anymore though. She had survived for so many years alone; she could have done so for so many more if she had just followed her instincts and run when she had felt that she was being watched. Why she had not thought to run back before she had been brought to Balegil by Talin bothered her.

Had she wanted to be caught by someone? Had she been too curious about this richly robed man that had been watching her earlier in the day? Surely it had to be one of these things she was certain of it as she trudged through another drift though this one did not collapse beneath her as the other had. She listened constantly for the sounds of horses and glanced over her shoulder often, however she had yet to spot any rider behind her though the glare from the snow was beginning to blind her and she prayed for night to fall so that she would be able to rest her eyes at least, though she feared what night would bring here.

She did not see the two forms creeping towards her as she turned and continued on heading for black rocks jutting out of the snow ahead of her, she hoped that perhaps they would provide her with a bit of shelter from the winds and would make it so that she would survive the night. Pulling herself from the cold earth and continuing to run was something that was getting harder and harder to do each morning. She would keep doing so as long as she was able to, not that she expected that to be much longer if she could not find a city to hide in. She could only hope for a city as large as Dol Amroth, anything smaller and she would likely be pointed out by the first person they asked as a stranger in those parts, if only because her clothing was not fit for the weather.


	13. Chapter 13

She had made it to the rocks and she had huddled down in the shelter of them, though it was not much. She curled up tightly tucking her hands under her arms trying desperately to warm her fingers, she glanced at the dagger at her belt, and she had not needed to use it thus far, though she had wished she was able to hunt with it. A dagger though was not a useful thing for hunting swift birds or mammals that ran faster than her and that was all she had seen since her exile from Dol Amroth. Though she had heard great howls in the distance and they had often chilled her to the bone, never though had they come near her, perhaps they had bigger prey to hunt that they left her be, though she had not heard them either in a long while. Perhaps these horrid white lands were dead she thought to herself pitifully wondering how long before she became another feature of this cold dead world. Her wallowing was cut short by a crunch in the snow and she jumped spinning about only to find herself pinned down. She cried out, this man was so much larger than her and she had little strength left to fight him. His words were foreign to her and she did not understand them however his tone was clear enough and his laughter filled her ears and made her shudder horribly. It was laughter she had heard long ago when she actually had killed someone. Panic rose in her throat, and had she any morsel in her stomach she was certain that she would have lost it swiftly. Instead though her instincts kicked in and she clawed at his face, her body so frail he had decided she would pose him no harm. Her fingers caught his eye and he howled in pain even as a second set of hands grabbed at her these she fought against her hands barely keeping free long enough to grab the dagger that she had been lamenting at its lack of use. She swiped it wildly about catching this new assailants arm and cutting him deep. It was a good dagger, one that had been forged for Talin and was of fine steel. The two men charged her one ending up with the dagger deep in his belly and the other bleeding out slowly from the wound in his arm, a vein had been cut one that would kill him. Taelindwyn ran pulling the blade from the belly of his comrade causing him to collapse, his stomach torn open and partially blinded as she fled. The second gave chase but he too soon found himself too weak to continue the pursuit though she did not stop to find out if they had stopped following her. She ran for her life, hardly aware that she had killed again and that the knights would likely find the bodies of the two men and know that they were on the right path.

When she finally stopped it was dark, and had been for several hours and the temperature was dropping swiftly and she sat on a snow drift, her shivering had ceased days ago now but this cold it bore down on her to her very bones and she looked about weakly the gloom that surrounded, her, the stars high above her seemed like cold angels twinkling and dancing merrily as they watched her from above. They mocked her sorry state and she had stopped looking to them, her attention was fixated on a small orange glow back the way she had come. It was close. Perhaps only several miles off, had she gotten turned around in the white and started running back to Dol Amroth in her panic after her attack? Did it matter?

It was fire, it was the one thing that would save her this night and she knew it. Her bones were too cold and she knew that if she did not get warm soon she would die before nights ending and it was only getting colder. How that was possible she did not know but she hated the Valar for leaving her to such misery. Surely they could end her suffering in some kinder manner. Or perhaps this was a test of her will, to see how badly she wanted to survive, about that fire could be kindred of the men she had slain earlier, or even the knights that she was certain were still hunting her. Either way it did not matter, she pulled herself up and headed back towards Dol Amroth and the fire.

Luck was in her favour, the wind was blowing off of the Sea and it hid her scent from the horses which she heard long before she could clearly see them, and immediately she thought of the knights and drew her dagger. It was still bloodied from the men she had dispatched earlier in the day since she had not cleaned it. And she edged forward carefully trying to find a way to stay quiet on the snow. By the time she could see the horses she had figured out how to move almost silently across the snow and had picked out that there were only two knights. She frowned and paused, perhaps they figured that alone for so long she would be too weak to fight them. They did not figure on her desperation at least that was the only explanation that her exhausted mind could come up with. One was on watch while the other slept, she crept closer and closer to the sentry until she was right upon him and then he was no more. His life blood spilling from a wound on his neck and little more than a small grunt had escaped him, with that she was on the man that was sleeping by the fire the dagger plunging into his chest and he cried out but there was no one to help him. His eyes focused on her for a second, and he reached for her causing her to jerk back pulling the blade free. It dropped from her hand as she watched her chest heaving and she could feel the warmth of the fire even from where she stood several feet away. She returned to it pulling the blanket from the body of the knight she had just slain, there was some blood on it but she did not care as she wrapped it about herself and lay down to rest beside the fire. She did not care if the fire attracted unwanted attention from anyone aside from the Knights, whom, as far as she was concerned were no longer a threat and her eyes slid shut as waves of heat rolled over her from the fire.


	14. Chapter 14

There was a soft crunching of snow and a sharp intake of breath, the first she figured was the horses but the second, was not, it was someone in the camp and her body jolted upright and away from the noise.

"You killed these men?" Came the question and Taelindwyn scuttled about the fire putting it between herself and this man. She did not have the element of surprise here, this man seemed to be looking her over as if to decide her weaknesses, and she was afraid. She reached for the dagger but found it missing it was still on the snow near where she had been sleeping, now closer to this stranger than it was to her. She cursed her laziness and gave a small nod, there was nothing left to do except perhaps hope that she would be able to bluff her way out of this. Something that she doubted she would be able to manage.

"And the Dunlendings?" To that she frowned she did not know what a Dunlending was but she nodded again slowly thinking that perhaps this man had found the two that she had dealt with before. He sat down, picked up the knife, and glanced at her his face was twisted with worry and she did not know why. He plunged it into the snow beside him and sat down after shutting the knight's eyes.

"Why?"

"To survive." She said curtly her body had only just started to warm up the fire was burning as well as it had been when she had laid down which meant she had been asleep for mere minutes, she had not even begun to shiver again. If she had of been any slower would she have had to deal with three men that were awake? She probably would not have survived that attempt.

"You killed them for their fire?" The man raised an eyebrow at her she tilted her head slightly but kept her mouth shut; she had no need to tell this man that they wanted her for murder. "If it was just for their fire you could have asked." She stared at him blankly trying to decide if he knew more than he was letting on.

"Do you mind if I stay with you the night, I could use a good fire as well." He said slowly glancing about and Taelindwyn wondered if he was disturbed by the fact that there were two bodies about him. She shook her head to this request, which caused this stranger to frown and pull the dagger from the snow before looking at her again while he played with the dagger. "If I gave you my word that I would not harm you would it make any difference?" He was looking at her closely and she shifted uncomfortably stepping further away from the heat of the fire figuring that she would need to run and run hard from this man. She shook her head again and glanced to the darkness.

"Come back to the fire. I can see you are half frozen, and I need it less than you." He said pushing the hood on his cloak back revealing his face in far detail. She frowned at the sight of him, he was odd, he was tall and light haired and his ears were pointed. Something she did not understand and she took another step away from him and the fire before bolting. She had made perhaps several steps before she was hit from behind and shoved her hard to the ground, she spun, she had no weapons but she reached for his face however he was stronger and faster and grabbed her hands, and pushed them back beside her head and held her there looking at her.

"You are starved to death as well." He said scowling; shifting her wrists to one of his, hands before taking his weight off her. He looked down her before pulling her back to the fire and sitting her there; standing behind her for several moments watching. "Stay there, I have better things to do than watch the likes of you run away and freeze death." She glanced back at him he was staring down at her his blue eyes piercing into her as he struggled with the pin at his neck his warm cloak came off and he draped it over her shoulders and wrapped it tightly about her and the chill wind no longer cut her to the bone though she was still cold. He stood there though, his clothing was as finely made as Balegil's, if not finer; he wore silver bracers and a chest plate emblemized with a star. He pulled something from his pouch and handed it to her before he sat down.

"Eat it. You need something in you." He said softly, before sitting beside her. He took her dagger from his belt and handed it to her "You either are a rather good thief or someone cared enough to send you out with and exquisite blade. Don't try to treat me the same way you did the last four men you came across." She took it, it was some sort of wafer she ate it quickly and sat staring watching the man as he watched her. After several minutes though she started to feel ill and she didn't even realize she was swaying until the man put his hand on her back, his face was twisted in confusion before he reached out and caught her as she started to convulse.

In moments, he was holding her tightly though he had moved them away from the fire and she fought for a moment but her body was too weak to obey her and purge the food that she had just eaten and so she laid across the man's arms looking at the snow as she convulsed. She could hear him talking softly as he ran his had gently over her back. It was horribly uncomfortable despite her clothing and the thick furred cloak that he had put on her ribs and vertebrae were sticking out, he noticed as well and moved instead to hold her matted hair out of the way better. When her body finally finished she sat gasping for breath until the man turned her about and she glared at him though the exertion from throwing up had almost drained her entirely and she could barely hold her eyes open. This was his fault though she did not know what he had putting the biscuit to make her so ill.

"You are worse off than I thought." He said softly he reached for something and soon she found a cask at her mouth and no choice but to drink, it was cold water almost frozen but kept just warm enough by this man's body heat. The cask was taken away and he jolted her about a bit moving her closer to the fire again she was already so hot and she did not want to be anywhere near the fire however he held her there calmly until she fell asleep.

She up to find the fire burned down and the fuel for it all spent though now there was a pot over it with strange smells coming from it. She started to sit up slowly to see what was when a hand landed on her arm and stopped her from getting up any further than propped on her elbow.

"You should just stay put I will get you some of that broth and you'll drink what you can. When was the last time you ate something?" She glanced back at him wondering why he was bothering to take care of her, he knew that she had killed these men, why take care o the likes of her? Instead, though she stayed silent since she could not really answer him about when she had last eaten, she could not remember food. He brought a cup to her and gentle lifted her up and put it to her lips letting her sip slowly at it. It tasted about as good as it smelt. Which was not bad, but it was not something that she would likely choose to eat regularly. She got several sips in before he pulled the mug away and looked at her strangely. He placed the mug near the hot coals and sat with hr for several more moments.

"We need to head north, you're body needs healing, and while I do believe my Lord would scold me for moving you in such a state at all, but there is no more fuel for the fire and my lord will be able to heal you easily enough once we get back to his realm."

She was silent, knowing she had little choice in the matter at least until she was strong enough that she would b able to escape. Right now it would be a long time until that happened, she knew that much.

"I have no reason to hurt you, you know." The man said calmly as if sensing her thoughts. "You did what you did for a reason. I do not need to know what it is, but I do know that that dagger of yours is from the same place as those knights so I know that they have been chasing you for a while now." With that, he put the mug back t her lips and she drank several more sips before she could feel her stomach beginning to protest and she turned her head away. At that the man poured the rest of mug on the ground and gently laid her back down, she glanced around the two knights were gone from sight, though there were two shallow cairns nearby and a pile of clothing, likely that had been stripped from the knights. This pile was beside her and soon she found herself propped up again as he began putting clothing over her own as his cloak slipped away she felt the sharp chill and shook violently and was no sure if she would have been able to get the clothing on without his help. Even with the shirt, tunic, and pants she could still feel the cold though it was kept at bay and even more so as the large boots were slipped over her threadbare ones. The cloak kept her head warmer and then he wrapped her up and tied her in a bundle inside one of the blankets and she struggled for a moment until he put his hand on her and looked at her.

"Trust me. I've not hurt you yet, and I have no plans to but I cannot ride a horse and hold blankets about you while keeping you on the horse at the same time." With that, he went to the horse and put its tack on before kicking snow into the coals and lifting her up. It was a bit of a struggle to get onto the horse and hold her at the same time and she worried that she would be dropped but after a few moments she was safely sitting in front of him in the saddle, he had an arm wrapped about her, and they were heading almost straight north.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

She did not know how long they had travelled; days and nights were lost on her as she hazed in and out of consciousness. What she did see whenever she did wake up, which was to drink broth he made for her was his face. Etched constantly with worry and his hands gently tested her face which had started hurting again now that it was no longer numb from the cold. He whispered constantly to her and to others she did not recognize most of the names however, she did recognize a few, that some of the sailors prayed to so she assumed they were all Valar. She did not remember them stopping or resting ever and soon there were more voices around her and she struggled to pull herself forcibly from the haze that was pervading her mind.

Hands touched, her multiple sets prying at her body and she snapped awake immediately she jerked away from the hands crying out thinking perhaps she had been taken back to Dol Amroth only to have herself hit the floor. Her body burning and protesting the move and scolding her for not keeping her feet, her hands scraped open having caught herself just enough to save landing completely on her face. Beside her, a woman yelped as she lashed out in her panic, "Aliriel?" She mumbled only to have one strong pair of hands pick her up, she looked about but did not see Balegil's servant. "Balegil?" She asked though her voice was hoarse and those about her shook their heads. She did her best to get her feet but whoever was holding her had her tight enough that she could not move much.

"No child, I'm Lord Elrond." Came a deep voice that came from behind her was calm and soothing though she was still on edge, her energy though was spent. After only a few seconds longer she found herself being scooped up and the only protest that was in her to give was a low moan as her body was jostled as she was lifted into a thick warm bed. It had been so long since she had slept in a bed that she did not even worry as the warm layers of clothing off her until she was almost entirely bare. She opened her eyes then and tried to get up but strong hands gently held her down; faces, none of them familiar, swam above her all of them worried and speaking in hushed tones.

"Please no, I am fine" Taelindwyn mumbled trying to push the hands that were holding her away but the touch made her hands hurt and she could not actually force them off of her.

"You are not fine little one, you are starved and you have been exposed to the cold for far too long." Elrond said softly "You need rest and food and medicine." With that, he sat on the bed beside her his hand on her shoulder, while the others moved about in and out of her vision though she could still hear them moving about.

"I can't-" She sobbed and tried desperately to get away from Elrond and climb up off the bed. Instead, she found his hand resting on her shoulder holding her gently in place, his other hand went up and the bustle stopped; the only sound in the room was the soft sob from Taelindwyn.

"You can't what child?" He drew a blanket over her covering her up, and taking a cup from someone and holding it on his lap waiting for her answer.

"Pay." She said weakly. Elrond gave a look to the other healers and they started moving about again.

"Do not worry about paying us, we will not charge you, when you are well perhaps you can help in the gardens or outside or something simple if you are worried about paying us." He said softly. She looked up at him and he was smiley softly the cup of warm liquid still in his hand and the healers were once again busy she was not sure if she entirely believed this offer, it was after all something that was unheard of in Dol Amroth and Gondor, unless, she thought darkly you were a prince or steward. The elven lord must have seen her disbelief on her face; she was so tired and hurt that she was not schooling her face properly.

"I promise you, we will demand no payment from you." She nodded then and at once the healers were on her again another blanket one that was much thicker and warmer was put over her and her hands were being tended and the pain that she had been in was slowly fading away as creams and bandages were put on her. She laid still then her body clearly wanting to rest but she had become so use constantly running with only moments of rest that she could not sleep. The room was darkened and everyone left but her eyes would not slide closed the shuffling of feet in the hall the rustles of blankets near her. It had to be hours that had passed since she had been left alone when a young woman slipped into her room with a small lamp and a bowl of warm broth. She was shocked to see that Taelindwyn was awake but recovered quickly setting down the lamp on the table beside the bed and then sitting herself down beside the weakened Gondorian.

"Having troubles sleeping?"

"Use to not." She said softly her voice cracking from lack of use and dryness. The woman nodded, though Taelindwyn was not sure why she was nodding, had she ever not been able to sleep out of danger? She looked like she lived a safe life here, wherever here was Taelindwyn thought glumly realising she had no idea where she was.

"This broth has some more medicine in it and it will be good for you, better than the broth that Farfindor was giving you." The woman lifted her up so that she was half sitting and held out the broth. Taelindwyn took it her hands were shaking slightly but they were not in pain even as she held the broth and slurped from it. She managed several half-decent mouthfuls before she looked to pass it back. She was not use to drinking or eating anything much at one time and the healer took it from her and looked worried. "You didn't drink all of the last infusion either, is it too bitter?"

"No, I- have not eaten very much." Taelindwyn said softly, at this she was given a look, though she could not tell exactly what was behind it before she was laid gently back down into the warmth of the bed before the healer stood and took the lamp and the broth out. She could tell that there was more of the sleep inducing medicines that she was to be taking in the broth, her eyes felt heavy as they had shortly after she had been tended. The room grew darker as the sun faded out to the west, and soon the only light came from a fire that danced in the hearth not far away. She stared at it for a long time; shifting occasionally unsure of why she was so uncomfortable in her bed before pulling the blanket off the bed with her and heading over to the floor and curling up near the hearth as she had so many times as a child. Rest would not find her so instead she watched the dancing flames until the door opened in the middle of the night.

She struggled to get up only to find a gentle hand on her back. "It is alright child; you are not use to the comfort of a neither bed nor rest even though you've enough draught in you to put most grown men to sleep." He said softly sitting down on the hearth feeding a log into the fire that had been growing low. It was Elrond she recognized the voice and face and he sat their looking at her for several moments more and he at her.

"You remind me very much of my foster son, though he has never been in such ill condition." Elrond said softly. At this Taelindwyn was confused and shook her head not understanding. "When you are stronger and he is here in Imladris I will make sure that you meet him and any of the Dunedain that travel with him." Elrond said with a smile, "then you shall understand." She gave a small nod. With that, he pulled out a small jar and opened it. Before gently applying it to her face and hands, the touch stung but as soon as the pressure was gone so was the pain. "I will bring food for you later once there is some made, we need to start getting more than infusions into you." With that, he stood up slowly and headed for the door Taelindwyn watched him go and then as the door clicked shut she turned her attention back to the blaze before her. Sleep would not be visiting her this night.

It was perhaps a few hours later when Elrond returned this time with another healer in tow carrying a tray; the other seemed upset that she was not in the bed. Taelindwyn started to get up but Elrond quickly put an end to that sitting on the hearth again once more right beside her and motioning for the other healer to do the same.

"I brought some porridge and fruit for you as well as more broth." He said softly and gently helped her into a semi sitting position leaning her against him to make it so that she would not need to put forth an effort to remain seated. The porridge while it tasted wonderful and was not as rich as the wafer that Farfindor had given her threatened to overwhelm her and she quickly pushed it away after only a few bites. Elrond frowned and looked at her.

"You did not eat very much; when was the last time you ate properly?" He asked softly. She looked away her brow furrowing for a moment.

"I do not know. When I was in Dol Amroth?" She said with a small shrug. Lord Elrond nodded.

"How long ago was that?" At this, her face furrowed again and she shook her head. "I do not know. A long time."

"How many times did you see the full moon?" She grew quiet again and shook her head

"Many times," she said softly, for she did not know she had not counted the days and nights she had simply run. Both of the elves looked at her closely and then at each other.

"You child, are lucky perhaps to even be alive. It is going to be a long road I think to get you back to health." Taelindwyn looked away and rested as calmly as she could where she was being held, hoping that this was all that he wanted to know from her, she was afraid of what he had been told by Farfindor as she thought the other man had been called.

"Why were you out in the wilds by yourself?" At this, she looked towards the door and there was silence for several moments as she wondered what her rescuer in the wilds had to Elrond. Had he told him about the Dol Amroth Knights that she had killed? Had Lord Elrond in turn told the other healers?

"I had to run." She said finally in a hushed tone. There was a nod that she felt, and she was certain Elrond's eyes were burning through the side of her head though she dared not look up at him. However before he pressed the matter the other healer left and Taelindwyn glanced nervously about the room. She was certain that despite the nightlong rest, she had had and the few bites of food her body could not fight long enough to escape wherever it is that she was.

"Why did you have to run?" Elrond asked looking hard at her, "Farfindor told me about the two Dol Amroth Knights he found you with. I have promised to heal you, but with that news, I must find out why you ended their lives, for I will not heal one that moves to aid the Dark Lord." Taelindwyn sat frozen, terrified that if she misspoke, she would end up back in the wilds; a place she knew she would not long survive anymore.


	16. Chapter 16

"They were going to kill me." She said softly shrinking away into the blanket only to be reminded that an arm was wrapped around her and she was leaning against Lord Elrond. She was trapped. "They said I killed a bunch of people at an inn." Elrond's eyes bored down on her as she glanced up at him like a trembling rabbit under an eagles gaze. The smiling healer was gone and she wondered if he had ever killed anyone. The look on his face told her he had and that she needed to be afraid.

"Did you?"

"No. I just saw I saw him and I ran."

"Who did you see?" Taelindwyn shook her head as Elrond squeezed her arm through the thick blankets.

"I don't know. I- I ran to Balegil, I tried to tell him what I saw but he didn't believe me and he let them take me." She shuddered and tried to pull away, she was looking at the door trying o figure out how much effort it would take to get that far.

"You are not going to make it out of this Valley if I do not want you to child." He said calmly as if reading her mind. "Nor do you have the strength or skill to kill any of my soldiers." She went limp and she hung her head looking away from him staring intently at a spot on the covers.

"Are you going to kill me then?" She asked softly, and she could feel Elrond flinch away as if her question, soft though it was, was a wasp's sting. His grip that had been on her arm forcibly keeping her next to him was gone, and was the mere graze of a feather.

"Why would I kill you?" He asked softly.

"That's what they were going to do. Why would you be any different?" She said finally not bothering to look up from the covers. There was a rustle from behind her and soon she felt herself being laid down on her back and she stared up at Lord Elrond in fear as he knelt beside her.

"I do not understand how you are thinking, and I do not think you can explain it easily. I am going to slip you into an elven dream state and see for myself." She sat pinned trembling like some specimen about to be dissected, she did not know he meant and looked frantically about for some escape. Elrond sat still for several moments before sliding her eyes shut, she opened them immediately and he repeated the motion until she kept her eyes shut. Then he began to speak in elvish.

Pain, darkness, cold, a gnawing in her belly that would not go away. Broken bones, more than even she remembered, each coming back to her and each passing as she sat huddled in a ball on the ground flinching away from the pain begging at times for it to stop, Elrond was standing there with her a hand on her back watching the proceedings, but he did not stop. The beatings, the starving, the life spent as a thief, and hunted. Fear of everyone. He was silent, as her life spun by an open book to him. Then he came to Balegil. Her gilded cage and the slap that had sent her tumbling to the ground and fleeing desperately only to be caught in a bloody nightmare, the fear of that night, not knowing what to do, only to be turned aside at the one place she thought she might find help. The beating she got from the guards, and then her rescue and escape only to be hunted like a wild animal only to be pushed so far that she was little better than a cornered wounded animal when she finally did kill.

She snapped out of the nightmare that was her life to find herself staring at Elrond whose face had turned ashen as he was staring at her. Her eyes were blurred and she realized it was because tears were streaming down her face and she was cradling her arms to her body, and she had curled up tightly in a ball, nursing wounds that had long since healed. He scooped her up instinctively as a father and held her tightly to him, stroking her hair and rocking back and forth.

"You were not planning on surviving after you killed those knights; were you?" He said softly understanding now why she would think he would kill her for her crime. All her life she had been tossed aside she had seen stray dogs treated more kindly than she had been and she knew that she had done wrong in killing the men.

"No. I thought, I thought I was finished, and that I was alone." She said in a hoarse whisper, had she been screaming as she had been in the elven dream as he had called it. She found tea being pressed to her mouth, she took a few sips, and it soothed her throat. Elrond stayed for several minutes longer holding her before laying her back down gently, leaving the room taking the tray with him. At the door she could see several more healers standing there wide eyed; craning to see her as she lay on the floor half dead to the world before being dismissed by Elrond quickly as the door was shut and she was left to her own devices.

She lay still for a long time, staring at the door and at the small cup of tea that had long since stopped steaming. She did her best to drink the tea and managed to get all of it down before the pain in her hands made reappearance and it was a horrible feeling one that she had not felt since she had arrived here. She curled up on herself moaning softly into the warm blanket trying desperately to get the pain to fade away. It was hours later and she was curled up as tightly as possible, her hands in fists as hard as they would go, when the door opened and someone came in they stood silently beside her she could tell that they were there despite the fact they were now being quiet. Suddenly there was a clunk of a mug on the hearth near her and the quilt pulled away as strong arms worked on her until she was disentangled from the blanket and pulled up against Elrond's chest her hands still clutched tightly in fists the pain in her palms managing to block out the pain in her finger tips. Slowly these were pried open gently salve being put on them until the pain was finally gone a few minutes later. Her face was then tended and she was held for several more minutes quietly.

"I am sorry I did not come back sooner, I needed to speak with Farfindor and the other healers on" he paused, "what care it is you truly need." He said, halting short of telling her that her horrible tale was now bared to the others. He reached out and brought a spoonful of food before her, she turned away. She caught a glance of him; he was looking down at her he wanted something but what she could only guess.

"I did not understand how you could be so certain." He said finally laying setting the spoon with the food down, she avoided looking at him entirely he sat for a while longer before he stood up, once again leaving the tea. "We will do our best to heal you, physically and if you will let us, emotionally as much as we may and then what you do from there is up to you, but you are welcome to call this valley your home and haven." The door opened and closed, and she was alone again.

She lay still looking at her hands, they were angry, pink, and white and she had seen it often enough on fishermen to know that it was going to take a while for her hands to stop their aching. Her face as well she guessed, though the salve did a wonderful job at numbing them so that she could not feel it at all, and she wondered if it would speed, the healing, something poor fishermen could not afford. Which was why she was surprised when the door opened again, only a few moments having passed. She flinched and moved her hands away from her face and lay still, she could not see them the way she was laying and expected expecting some healer or Elrond. Instead, she found Farfindor who had knelt down and was bent over her, staring down at her his hand gently moving her face so that he could look at it, she did not fight or move she just stared back at him.

"Elrond told me why you killed those men." He said softly. She did not bother to reply, she did not want to hear that they were wrong, she did not want to see any of them that knew her painful secrets. "He said once you were physically healed you could do as you wish, if you did not want to stay beyond that we were to let you go." At this she glanced away at the fire, not sure of where he was going. "I am not going to allow that, you are going to stay here and learn how to feed yourself in the wild and how to actually fight. Then you can do as you wish." His voice hitched slightly and this brought her eyes up to his again.

"I do not want your help." She said softly, not sure why he was upset at what she guessed was the thought of her going.

"You want to starve again out in the Wilds? Or be taken and abused by thieves and bandits that don't care about you even as much as the guards and knights of Dol Amroth?"

"They did not care for me at all; the never have. So what does it matter to you?"

"I am the one that kept you alive. Lord Elrond has told me it would have been better perhaps if I had left you to freeze, or if I had not found you at all. To fall asleep and never wake up again." Farfindor gently stroked her hair, smoothing out some of it soon she would be being bathed and groomed back into some semblance of a lady. "I do not know what he saw in your past, he gave us no details, but for him so say such a thing it had to have been cruel, and I am the one that kept you trapped in it. I would give you the chance to at least live on your own terms rather than suffer further."

"Why?" She asked softly this time her voice cracked, she had been given an offer similar to this not long ago, and she did not know if she could stand another round of abandonment when things did not work out the way Farfindor thought they should.

"Because you are a child, and you have the right to live and live happily if you can. I have fought many battles to see other children have the same chance. I can only hope that the fight with you to get you to live will not be as hard as I fear it will be." She stayed silent; she had nothing to say against this. He sat still watching over her quietly for another few hours when Elrond returned with more salve and food for her. Instead of leaving Farfindor sat gently lifting her up into a sitting position while the food was set down beside him, and Elrond worked at reapplying the salve long before it had worn off. Farfindor manage to get a small amount more food in her than they had before but still it only amounted to what would normally be a few mouthfuls for most people and a few mouthfuls of tea before Elrond left once more after having stoked the fire again.

Farfindor sat watching the fire with her for a while longer. "Do you wish to go back to the bed and perhaps try to sleep there?" He asked finally glancing out the window to where the sun was just about finished setting once again. Taelindwyn sat still for a moment before nodding.


	17. Chapter 17

Taelindwyn glared at Elrond who sat as passively as he could, which only enraged her further. She did not want to be in this room, in the bed any longer. She wanted to leave; she did not care where she went at the moment just that she needed to get out of the room.

"I am not letting you out of this room yet. You are still too weak, and you need at least another week before you can start venturing out, it is too cold and your body will not take it." Elrond said finally, standing up leaving a small plate of food and tea for her to eat at her leisure. Taelindwyn wanted to throw the plate at him for his mannerisms. As she had healed over the last several days she found herself wishing more and more to escape the room that she was trapped in now. She had managed it once and since then she had not managed to get a moments peace without the elves watching her like an eagle.

"My body is just fine and will take the cold easily enough I have already proven that earlier in the week." She said glaring daggers at the elven lords back, Elrond turned to see her scowl and licked his lips. She wondered if she was about to break his calm exterior and find out what he was really like when pushed, but he sighed instead and shook his head as if knowing that she was pushing to see if what he had told her before was true.

"Your body was strained to its limits with your little adventure outside earlier in the week." Elrond said softly.

"I was not strained."

"Your body has no reserves with which to fight." Elrond said coming back towards her as she slipped out of the bed once more, having only been dragged there by Elrond a few minutes before. It was another thing that the elves had been trying desperately to get her to do with no avail. "If you get sick, I am not sure if all my healing skills could do even the slightest bit of good for you. I know you are use to being in such a state but you do not need to be any longer." At this Taelindwyn frowned standing her arms crossed Farfindor had not been around in a while, and she was beginning to feel that he was the only person in the Valley that understood why she did not like being trapped in one small room. Elrond had been in her mind and seen everything and he did not seem to understand in the least.

"If I stay in this room any longer my mind will go mad and then the body is rather useless." She said as she headed to the window, her feet though there were still sore, no longer hindered her movement. She had managed to keep every finger and toe and limb despite the frostbite something that had worried her for a while. She gripped at the window sill and looked out at the garden. It still looked incredibly bleak, snow covered most of it, but not pristine nice looking snow, instead it was the dreary tramped wet stuff that had seen better days in weeks long past when it was still cold enough for it to not have melted at all. Patches of black mud were sticking out here and there and dead brown plants making it a rather depressing place to look.

"Yes if you lose your mind all the work we have done to heal your body will be for nothing. I would ask though that you rest in this room a week longer, to give your body a bit more of a chance." He said softly and Taelindwyn turned and looked at him with a glare.

"And after a week has passed? Then what am I allowed to open the door to the hall and peek out before being chased back to bed?" At this Elrond gave a small chuckle.

"No by then I think you will be able to wander the whole of the interior of this house with little issues, save for worried glances and healers watching you closely to make sure you do not over exert yourself. You will also be able to meet some of your kin then as well." At this Taelindwyn felt the blood drain from her face and leaned against the wall behind her, dizzy from the panic it brought upon her. She was not wanting to see anyone from Dol Amroth. Elrond must have figured out what was going through her mind and he raced forward catching her and gently setting her down. "This is what I mean child, your body can not even handle your worry yet, I do not mean men of Gondor but Men of the North. They hold no oath to the Steward of Gondor, or Dol Amroth they follow Aragorn who is from the North." She sat trembling there for a few minutes, she had heard this name before, Aragorn, in the house of healing.

"Who is Aragorn?"

"He is my foster son." At that Taelindwyn frowned. "And a good man and well learned in the ways of the Wilds of the North. You could learn a lot from him I am certain."

"Why follow a man that knows the ways of the Wilds?" She asked slightly confused.

"There are no kingdoms of men in the North any longer, they were destroyed long ago and now there are towns like Bree, and then there are the Wilds, and the Wilds are dangerous and there are far more of them." Elrond said calmly. "He helps make sure the Wilds do not overrun the towns." To this Taelindwyn gave a nod her breathing had evened out and she felt better, this was something that had happened a few times before and she was getting better at recovering from her panic attacks.

"Perhaps it would be alright to meet him." She said softly, deciding until her panic attacks where even easier to deal with she would likely have to listen to Elrond's advice to stay in the room, she did not want to run into any of these Northern Men and have a panic attack in front of them and appear weak for fear they would refuse to teach her while Farfindor was away.


	18. Chapter 18

It was almost a full week since she had spoken with Elrond about meeting the Men of the North, her panic attack and the moment of weakness it had caused had made her want to get stronger faster and so she had followed the elven healers requests as much as she could, however she currently was heading towards the small library that was nearby. She had permission to go there because they figured she could at least sit and it was always warmed with a fire. Now though as she neared the door she could hear the shouting from the far end of the Healers house, her adventure at staring at the many books that she could not read forgotten she slipped onwards towards where she had heard the shouting coming from. She travelled along the corridor like a thief would; slipping from shadow to shadow quickly and quietly even though she had no need. She had become much stronger in the last week, though she was certain Elrond and the healers still felt she was incredibly ill. When she reached the large entrance room she felt a blast of cold air as men staggered into the room, she could see the backs of healers retreating with other men hardly walking. Her eyes went wide and she stood frozen for a moment unsure of what was going on, but knowing something horrible had happened.

"Get Elrond! Quickly!" One of the men barked at her and she stood and blinked for a moment glancing about, not knowing where Elrond was or if he was even in the House of Healing at the moment. She was saved by another healer that came running however and took hold of the soldier that was injured the most and started helping them along. More came and one of the men that were not hurt came and grabbed her to help with another soldier pressing her hands into the wounded side to help stem the bleeding.

"You are a terrible apprentice." He said shaking his head as she started walking towards where the other healers had taken the other wounded men knowing that that would be where the healers would be gathering if they weren't heading for the main room.

"She is a patient." Came the commanding voice of Elrond and she felt another hand on her pulling her out from under the weight of the wounded soldier. Lord Elrond looked her in the eye and while he could see she was shaken, she gave a firm nod letting him know that she did not feel she was going to have any form of panic attack from this.

Once he was gone though she backed against a wall and stared at her hands, they were coated in blood and she could still feel the wetness spreading beneath her hand when it had been pressed to the injured side. She did not know how long she stood there, as more and more men poured into the house of healing however she felt strong hands on her pulling her away back go her room. She turned and glanced up to see Farfindor was the one leading her though she could tell he too was wounded though not nearly as badly as the first few that had been rushed in.

"You are hurt." She said weakly as she caught him wincing. He looked at her and gave a small smile.

"A little yes, but you do not need to worry child."

"Maybe I can help?" She said softly after all she had wrapped a number of her own wounds growing up, surely it should be easier wrapping another's wound.

"You were in shock child, and I will be fine until the healers get to me." Farfindor said softly opening the door to her room and leading her in. He sat her on the bed and grabbed the small wash basin; he set it beside her and gently put her hands in it washing away the blood quietly.

"I do not want to be useless." She said softly as she struggled to get her trembling under control. At this Farfindor stopped and looked at her though she kept her eyes fixed on his dented armour.

"You are not useless child; you are still weak from your ordeal." Farfindor said softly as he patted her hand dry.

"All I am is a sneak and a thief, what good is that? It is all I am good at, and nobody wants either of those things here." She whispered as she gently tugged her hands away. She sat still and silent, certain that he would likely tell her that she was good at surviving n her own and that one day when she had learned how to survive well enough in the wilds she would likely be back to putting those skills to use.

"I have broken ribs and a few small cuts." He said finally. She looked at him confused. "I need help getting my armour of so that the healers can tend to me, can you do that for me?" At this Taelindwyn gave a small nod as she watched him stand up and unfasten his cloak pin. Her eyes quickly took in the mechanics of the armour and it took her only a few moments to start undoing the buckles and ties that held it all together neatly. It was several minutes but soon she was lowering it to the ground, it was a lot heavier than it looked and it was hard not to drop it but Farfindor was helping as much as he could consider his ribs and she had asked to help. With the armour off she could see that one of the cuts was on his arm and another on his side.

"Should we go see if one of the healers is able to look after you?" Farfindor nodded as he pulled up the his shirt so he could look at the cut on his side, it looked bad to Taelindwyn, but then again it could just e that it had not been cleaned. Farfindor led the way with Taelindwyn following him quietly as they traveled towards the entrance of the House of Healing where he had found her standing in shock.

"Do you think he will live?" Taelindwyn asked suddenly and Farfindor stopped and blinked.

"Who?"

"The man whose side was cut open, the first one that came in."

"I hope so, he is a good man and it will be a sorely felt loss if he does not." Farfindor said trying not to give her hope one way or the other with what would happen. It was a bad wound and it was not a question that he could readily answer. He could keep a person alive until they got to a healer, she was proof of that, though she was starved and not bleeding out, but he was no healer.

"It would be a sore loss, but I think he will live so do not worry yourselves with his fate." Elrond said coming up on them, "You however need some healing too; there are some that are in better shape than you that have already been tended."

"Our friend Mellon here was in shock I think having seen the ranger's side, I took her back to her room so that she wouldn't be bothered further as more soldiers came in."

"Yes, why were you there when the rangers and soldiers came in Mellon?" Elrond said turning towards her, Taelindwyn's eyes went wide and she looked away now worried that she would be in trouble for being in the wrong place. She had not meant to do anything wrong yet clearly it seemed she could not do anything right. Elrond put a hand on her shoulder and she flinched only slightly.

"You are not in trouble, though perhaps the healers I left in charge of you should be."

"I was walking the halls and I heard a noise." She said softly. "The halls are normally quiet and boring so I thought maybe something interesting was happening so I went to see."

"Boring?" Elrond raised an eyebrow but nodded. "At least you were in the halls and not outside freezing."

"Outside?" This time Farfindor rounded on her but the movement caused him to wince in pain and his breath caught as Taelindwyn reached out grabbing his out stretched arm as he reached for a wall to steady himself. Elrond was at his other side fast.

"You are hurt worse than you let on Captain. How did you get your armour off?"

"I helped." Taelindwyn said softly. "I wanted to be useful." At this Elrond's brow furrowed.

"I am upset with both of you, once I get you tended Farfindor, you both are going to get reprimanded. You both know better, especially you Farfindor." At this Taelindwyn paled and clutched at Farfindor's arm that was around her still for a moment.

"I'm sorry." She had not enjoyed the hours of talking that she had gotten for going outside, and Elrond seemed to be in the same sort of mood in regards to this latest transgression of hers.

"Head back to your room; I will talk with you when I am done with him." With that Farfindor stood up mastering the pain that he was in though Elrond stood nearby and walked him down the hall to a room where he could be treated.

It was hours later when Elrond finally came to her room, and Taelindwyn was staring at the armour that was still lying on the floor where she had tried to gently and neatly set it down. She was staring at the blood and the dents on it wondering just what Farfindor had gone through in the last few days, and how often this armour had seen battle. It was the same armour he had been wearing when he had found her, though now there was black all over it and there were dents and it was not as shiny as she remembered it being when he had found her in the southern wastes. She glanced up at him her hand still on a dent that was fresh in the side of the armour, likely the one that had broken Farfindor's ribs.

"You are worried for him" Elrond said softly raising his eyebrows. She frowned slightly but nodded. "Why?" For this Taelindwyn had no immediate answer she dropped her hand off of the armour.

"He took care of me, so I am his debt." She shrugged a shoulder and glanced to the fireplace.

"That is an odd notion from you." Elrond said softly heading and sitting down on the foot of the bed right near her. "I did not take you as the sort to think of yourself as that could be indebted, is that why you are doing things that could set your healing back? I know how heavy that armour is, Farfindor did not have the strength to take a majority of the weight. You do not have the strength to hold it, or you should not; it is too heavy for you." With that he bent down and picked up the main portion of the armour.

Taelindwyn looked at him and then the armour before shrugging once more. She did not have answers for this however Elrond continued "I thought about reprimanding you, but I do not think you need that. You want to have some use and I have no doubt that what the soldier said bothered you. I know that well enough from what I saw." He motioned for her to pick up the pauldrons; she was confused for a moment but picked them up. They were heavier than she remembered but she picked them up, "now come along, I do not want this armour left in your room, and Farfindor is not staying in this house I have sent him home already."

Taelindwyn followed not entirely sure what it as that Lord Elrond was getting at but she was not about to question him. However there were healers that did questioning him and a few of them moved to block her path however Elrond quickly turned them aside. She hesitated at the door for a moment only to have Elrond turn and look at her.

"It is not far and it is fairly warm outside considering the time of the year. " With that he continued on and Taelindwyn stepped out of the House of Healing and into the sunlight.


	19. Chapter 19

Slowly she managed to make more and more trips out of the House of Healing without being chased down and put back into her room until finally she was allowed to leave it entirely; Farfindor putting her up in one of the rooms in his house. She was given warm clothing and free reign of the valley for the most part. She spent most of her time in the stables with the horses or watching the soldiers of Elrond practice their sword fighting skills. Often Farfindor was instruction the younger members, his ribs not fully healed yet which limited the practice that he could do, he did however take the time to teach her little bits after training with a wooden training sword. Which was why she was sitting watching the practices today, he had told her that the practice today would be fairly short and that he would show her a few new techniques.

The soldiers and the odd ranger that were training had gotten use to her on the sidelines watching carefully, one of the younger elven recruits even joked that she should just become a soldier already. This brought laugh from everyone though Taelindwyn ducked her head, and she missed Farfindor looking at her, seeing how she reacted. She had been gaining strength steadily now, and could easily handle the wooden blade that before had been tiresome after only a few minutes of practice. Farfindor had pointed out Aragorn who was there along with Elrond and she wondered if he was the reason the practice would be shorter for the soldiers this day, she studied his practice with a small frown, trying to figure out what it was that made him so special, yes he was a good soldier and he caught many mistakes the younger men made but she did not understand why he was so important. As the class ended she got up and headed for Farfindor and motioned for the training sword that he was holding.

"I think that Lord Elrond wants you to meet Aragorn first," At this she signed and turned and looked to Lord Elrond who gave her as disarming of a smile as he could muster knowing that she was not one that was easily fooled by pleasantries.

"Mellon, this is the Dunedain Ranger I told you about in the House of Healing." To this she nodded and said nothing, she noted that Aragorn said nothing as well and she wondered at this. Leaders of men seemed to like to talk fairly freely and yet he was silent.

"I hear you are learning to use a blade." Aragorn said finally to this she gave another nod looking to Elrond, Farfindor was at her back so she could get no cues from him as to what the purpose of this meeting was. "I've also been told you have other talents that may come in useful in battle."

"Talents?" She spoke finally an eyebrow arching wondering at just what talents it would be that he was referencing, perhaps that she was a thief or that she could sneak about silently before plunging a blade in someone's throat. Both she supposed could be useful in a fight though she doubted that the way he fought or practiced it was something they would actually consider using. They all seemed far too honourable for that.

"Perhaps you could demonstrate for him Mellon; after all you managed to elude the healers for several hours the one time." To this she took a step back, she did not like the thought of this. "He is a skilled tracker and he doubts that you'd be able to elude him as easily." She shook her head, and Farfindor stepped up as well.

"I am not sure how wise that plan is Elrond." Farfindor said setting his hand on her shoulder and Aragorn frowned

"I won't let her stick a dagger in my throat I don't think there is anything else to worry about with her." Taelindwyn tensed and Farfindor gripped her shoulder tightly and even Elrond glanced at Aragorn as well. She turned then and headed back to her new home a room in Farfindor's house. Farfindor stood and watched as she went before turning to Elrond and Aragorn, the Dunedain stood scowling at her retreating back. It was perhaps only a few moments later that she heard feet steps coming behind her swiftly. They were soft but not elven soft and she had learned both of the elven footfalls from being stuck in the House of Healing. She gave a glance back and caught sight of Aragorn closing on her quickly. She took a glance up and found what she was looking for.

Moments later she was on the roofs about the walk slipping away as Aragorn struggled up to follow her; he clearly was not use to such a tactic. As she slipped into the shadows and out of sight, this area was new to her yet the basics of hiding in such a place were still very easy.

Taelindwyn watched him from the shadow of a chimney, she could see the dagger on his sword belt glinting as he passed her and she relieved him of it with one smooth motion before slipping further into the shadows and letting him pass.

"Aragorn! Throw down your sword belt!" Came the call from Elrond below on the ground and Aragorn stopped his pursuit and headed to the edge of the roof. Taelindwyn moved along in the shadows staying close to him now that his attention was elsewhere.

"Do not tell me that the weapons frighten her." He called down with a harsh laugh, unbuckling his belt and sliding it off. She was behind him perhaps another step, a swift lunge if she were desperate.

"No, not truly however I fear they may trigger a reaction similar to one that she had when I first found her." Farfindor spoke as Aragorn glanced at his sword belt and turned to see the girl straighten up her eyes going wide looking at the dagger in her hand. His dagger. She looked back to him and the dagger hit the roof and slid down the tiles towards him before she wheeled about like a bird sensing danger and was off.

"Mellon!" She heard the call but she was so ashamed that she was reckless in her flight. Her body protesting the effort, as she leapt from the roof and continued on past elven crowds far too shocked to stop her until she was alone in the woods trembling.

Her body ached as much as her hear and her stomach sure now that her sprint was over wretched itself as she sobbed. She wandered softly through the woods trying to be careful of her tracks until she found a think brambled thicket and she struggled into it and shut her eyes pulling herself up in a small ball sobbing softly.

"Mellon." She glanced up in shock to find Farfindor and Aragorn standing outside the bramble, "come out Mellon."

"No." She said softly her voice hoarse from the tears.

"Mellon. I will come in there and get you child." Farfindor said with a sigh.

"Leave me alone."

"He told me you were hunted and that you have learned such skills as a means of survival. It is very impressive Mellon; I do not begrudge you what you did today. Though I do wish to know how you did it." The calm voice of Aragorn drifted from behind Farfindor when the elven soldier's pleas were turned aside.

"Why would you want to learn something awful like what I did?" She asked softly her eyes narrowing slightly.

"In the wild there are many enemies, and sometimes one does not have a weapon so it is good to learn to steal weapons from your foes." Aragorn said calmly. "And you had mine and I pride myself on always being on guard." She looked out at the two men and wiped her eyes once more.

"Only a fool goes into the wild without a weapon, or a desperate person. Farfindor has told me that much." She did not like that they were trying to ply her out of the thicket and she shifted her weight and looked about to see if there were other elves slipping about and if the thicket was thinner in any one direction than the way she had come. She could not see anyone but she was certain they were there; it had been hours now since she had slipped inside and she would not put it past Elrond to get a good many elves out looking for her. Some of which could be healers and others would be scouts to actually find her.

"Yes but desperation can come in many forms, and one can easily lose their weapons in the wild regardless of having brought them in the first place." To this Taelindwyn had no retort and she was silent seeking instead for some flash of movement or sound that was out of place about her.

She sat still for several moments longer her eyes watching for movement even as she thought on what it was that Farfindor and Aragorn had said. She shook her head and carefully began plucking her way out of the tangled bramble.

Farfindor grasped her tightly to himself, though she caught Aragorn looking closely at her and she frowned slightly as he quickly looked away. The elf wrapped his cloak around her and looked at her closely.

"Your lips are blue child you've been sitting in the snow in that bramble for far too long. We need to get you inside and warmed up." At this she was led calmly back into the heart of the valley.


	20. Chapter 20

It had taken her some time to adjust to life with the elves, though she knew she was still very much an outcast despite Farfindor and Elrond's attempts at telling her otherwise. She had killed good men, men of the west, and what was she? A street rat, thief, killer with no proper name and no family, of course no one said anything against her openly however even in crowded streets she found people managed to move away from her easily enough. The Dunedain had only shown a mild interest in what she knew, and demonstrating it had only furthered her reputation. They did not overly trust her though she had tried to also learn healing skills though she did not have the stomach for it and soon turned away from that.

Farfindor often was busy with his tasks as a soldier and a leader and so often she was alone, or at least as alone as she could be. She trained hard learning to wield a sword with enough skill to be of some use in a battle. The names that the elves called her often driving her to practice until her hands bled and her body dropped from exhaustion, however the more she practiced the less they talked to her and instead about her. Hushed whispers even as they neared the end of training where they would soon go out and start putting it to use. The first missions were patrols, at worst a handful of orcs for the entire company most of them would not even get to wet their blades in their first few encounters even though by all accounts darkness was stirring ever more as the days passed.

She was grateful that her first full winter in the Valley had now passed; Elrond and Farfindor had both worried about her and had done everything they could to keep her warm and safe though it was not needed and had only fuelled the whispers even more. The other elves in her company did not wish for her to be there, they worked tirelessly to break her will to be a soldier, hoping she would quit as she had with becoming a healer. It was one of the few things though that she had some skill with; unlike most of them she had slain men already, some of which had deserved it and so both Elrond and Farfindor felt she would manage well enough when the time came and encouraged her ceaselessly.

She wondered if she would ever earn the respect of those she would fight beside or if she would forever be relegated to the shadows and outskirts as she looked out over the building in the valley from the balcony from her room in Farfindor's home.

"Mellon." The voice of Farfindor broke through her musings, she turned to look at him he stood a package in his arms and she gave a smile wondering what beautiful bit of clothing he had found for her to keep her warm though winter had passed and spring had come though the nights were still cool. He had bought her many tunics and bits of finery to try to get her to feel as if she fit in better.

"Yes Lord Farfindor?" She asked standing up slowly, she wondered if she wanted him to go out and show Elrond what it was that he had gotten her. It was often his way of getting her to be more social as she withdrew from the whispers of the elves, most men would not have noticed their talk, for they were subtle, and even Farfindor did not believe when she said that the others did not like her until she pointed out how when they walked the market they were never stopped but when he went alone or if she wandered off he would be stopped and chatted with. He could not deny it after she proved it happened every time, it had enraged the Captain and Lord Elrond as well when Farfindor had told them what she had noticed but she had brushed it aside.

"I've gotten you some gear that you can use on your first few missions." He said softly with a smile handing her the bundle. She took it gently a smile coming to her face as she went inside setting it on a table and untied the string that held it together. A warm cloak lined with wolf fur was the first thing that she saw and she laughed slightly.

"It is spring already my lord, this will be far too warm in a few weeks time." She ran her fingers through the soft fur and set it aside.

"You will be going on your first mission before a fortnight passes. If not two, I know how hard it is for you to stay warm yet in the cold." She nodded; it was true she had spent much of the winter shivering and adding layers upon layers though she truly had not needed them compared to when she had fled Dol Amroth.

"Thank you." She said softly. The elven lord smiled and held out a small scabbard and she took it gently, it was a dagger, one that made even the one that she had gotten from Talin almost a full year ago now look like a peasant's weapon.

"This is too fancy." She said softly looking it over tracing her fingers over the intricate designs on the hilt and pommel. Her mind went to Talin, as she pulled the dagger that he had given her from her belt. She always kept it with her; it gave her a sense of security. The new elven blade forgotten on the table where she had set it down momentarily. "Do you think he is alright?" She asked suddenly and Farfindor's brow furrowed sharply.

"He?"

"Talin, he is the one that gave me this blade, right before he helped me over the wall of Dol Amroth. Do you think they killed him for helping me escape?"

The elven lord did not have words at first though a few times he looked to start speaking before he turned aside. "If they caught him they likely would have punished him harshly. I do not know all the details of what happened, you know that, but I would hope they would not kill him for the act though I doubt he has his freedom if he is currently alive." She held the blade tightly for a moment before putting it back into its place at her side.

"I would rather use his blade until I am certain that I could go back to Dol Amroth and make sure that he would be freed. If I could ever do that." She said softly and to that Farfindor nodded, and took the elven dagger back.

"I am sure one day you will, and when you do you can take up this blade." He said setting it aside giving her a smile. Taelindwyn could tell that he had wished for her to take the blade and cast aside the last bit of her past, however the other elves had heard enough from Lord Elrond that their stories ran rampant and made at times her past worse that it already was. He turned and looked at her she had slipped into thoughts of what they would have done to this man that had likely rescued her from death. And he could not help but feel remorse at dredging up such thoughts. "You will be able to start earning the respect of your fellows and all of Imladris tomorrow." He said softly and she looked up sharply. She knew they were to gather early the next day but they had not been told why. Or at least she had not been.


End file.
